Credit: SWPIX.COM
HERBIE Farnworth knows he will get stick – he gets it wherever he goes.
When he is in Australia, he is taunted for his English accent. When he is back in Lancashire, he gets teased for his Aussie one!
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Herbie Farnworth is ready to get stick in Australia for the way he played for England, rather than his accent.Credit: SWPIX.COM
What is not in doubt, though, is his quality. Put simply, he is the world’s best centre.
And he is ready to show that in the best accent he knows, on the pitch – starting at Wembley tomorrow.
Farnworth said: “In Australia, I get slammed for being English. When I come back home, my mates slam me for being Aussie, so I can’t win.
“It’s nothing but grief, but that’s all right, I love it.
“I’m trying my best to not get an Aussie accent, but it’s just the odd word that’s got it sometimes.
“I was 17-years-old when I moved there, so I’ve just picked up the twang and the little slang words I’ve lost from over here.
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“But once I’m around the English boys, it comes back pretty quick.
“The Aussies are a very confident bunch, but the English way is to be a bit more humble and a bit dry with that humour.
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“So it’ll be interesting on the field, but saying that, I think it’ll be too fast to be sledging anyone.
“And the fact it’s the first Ashes series in 22 years means I might not get to play with the one again, if it’s every 20 years.
“It makes it very, very special and we’ll get a lot of bragging rights for the next 20 years if we get them beaten.”
The Lancastrian centre is regarded as the best in the world.Credit: SWPIX.COM
Farnworth, who hails from the village of Blacko, actually overcame an injury scare to book his return flight from Queensland, where he plays for NRL side Dolphins.
A hamstring pull left him initially in doubt, but the thought of representing his country against the world champions helped him through.
The 25-year-old added: “I did my full rehab course, so I’m back moving just the way I was before.
“I knew it was pretty bad when I did it, so England was definitely on my mind.
“But once I got the scans sorted and it wasn’t the full rupture, I knew I’d be fine. As soon as I got the results, I was ringing Shaun Wane.
Farnworth will line up t Wembley in the first TestCredit: SWPIX.COM
“I also had a blood infection. I was on the wrong stuff but it got cleared on the morning of a game and I flew down to Sydney and played.
“I was lucky, really, because it was a really wet game and the ball didn’t really come wide on to my side. I was just sort of shadowing everyone else!”
Having Farnworth back certainly pleased his coach, who admits he celebrated when he told him he would make it.
He said: “I must admit, it’s not like me but I clenched my fist in celebration when Herbie said he was coming.
“I’m buzzing. I can’t wait. He’s a good lad too, he’s ideal.
England boss Shaun Wane admits he celebrated when told Farnworth would recover from a hamstring injury in time for the Ashes.Credit: SWPIX.COM
“Not only is he quality, but he’s also ideal for team environment and culture as well.
“That’s another consideration. We’re together for four weeks in a camp where it’s very, very intense from the minute you wake up to when your head touches the pillow at night.
“It’s not an easy place to be when you’re playing for me. I want a lot of information. I want you to try really hard, work hard, lift and bleed and get better.
“I need lads that can handle that. It’s not everybody’s cup of tea, that.”
If Farnworth was Australian, he would probably be in their side, that is how good he is.
Farnworth and England face the ultimate test in the AussiesCredit: SWPIX.COM
But having faced who he will be taking on at Wembley, he also knows he is up against mere mortals.
“The belief is definitely that we’re up against men, not supermen.
“I play against them week in, week out, and they’re very talented players – but they’re just men. There’s nothing superhuman about them, that’s for sure.
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“I keep trying to get better each year and I like to think I’ve done that over the time I’ve had in the NRL.
“We’ve also got some great Super League players. We’ve got a really strong bond as a team and we’re planning on doing something special.”
