Leigh’s Umyla Hanley has just been named in his second successive Super League Dream Team – no mean feat given he has played just 17 games this season – and looks set to be part of England boss Brian McDermott’s plans before the Rugby League World Cup, which starts in October.
Yet the 24-year-old’s successes in the Leigh shirt, particularly since moving to centre, may never have happened at all and he may have been destined for a job as a builder having seen his opportunities with Wigan fizzle out.
“I grew up in Wigan, I’m from Wigan, came to the first team after the academy and just didn’t really get that much game time and didn’t really know how to handle it as a young lad,” he told Radio Manchester.
“I just kind of fell out of love with the game of rugby. I was going to hang it up and just work on site with my mates and have a laugh. But then Lammy gave me a call and he got me down to Leigh and the rest is history.”
As for what inspired him not to quit rugby league, Hanley points to the camaraderie in the Leigh camp.
“It’s when you’re in the changing rooms with the lads after the game, before the game, even in training,” he continued.
“Those kind of moments, you can’t buy, and then when you perform well on the pitch as well it’s just just a big bonus.”
In only his second season in Super League, Wakefield’s Caleb Hamlin-Uele has broken into the Dream Team ranks himself.
Even more impressive is that in that time he has made only 38 Super League appearances in total, but he bats away any suggestion that his excellent form is all his own doing.
“It’s a testament to how hard I’ve worked and how hard everyone else behind me has worked, because it’s not just me,” he said.
“There’s so many people that are behind closed doors that don’t really get any limelight, but I’m grateful to have them all in my corner.”
Hamlin-Uele, who missed last season’s play-offs through injury, also missed last week’s win at Leigh, but hopes he play his part on Friday.
“There’s nothing more I want to do than just be with my brothers on that field, just trying to get us to Old Trafford,” he said.