When Elliott Whitehead was presented with his England jersey by Jonny Bairstow at the Worsley Marriott hotel the night before the World Cup quarter final against Papua New Guinea last autumn, it’s fair to say neither could have imagined the surreal events of the last couple of weeks.
Bairstow, who was still using crutches at the time as he recovered from the freakishly serious leg injuries he suffered in an innocuous golfing accident a few months earlier, found himself at the centre of a major Ashes cricketing controversy in England’s second Test defeat at Lord’s – although they have since bounced back at Headingley to keep the series alive.
Whitehead entered the fray after playing the part of Bairstow in an imaginative try celebration created by the Canberra Raiders during their NRL fixture against the Dragons in Wollongong, which happened to coincide with the second morning of the third Ashes Test at Headingley.
The celebration was part of the annual Try July campaign run by the NRL, in partnership with Sportsbet, which was this year raising money to support the former St Helens coach Daniel Anderson, among others, as he battles life-changing injuries suffered in a surfing accident.
To be fair to Piers Morgan, if he had known that before condemning Whitehead’s lack of patriotism in a rare mention of Rugby League on his social media feeds, he would surely have changed his tone.
Whitehead looked completely unbothered by all the criticism when he conducted some post-match interviews in the Raiders dressing room after a win which maintained their steady climb up the NRL table, and leaves them well-placed to push for a Play-Off place when they resume after a bye this weekend, with a mouthwatering clash against New Zealand Warriors in Auckland next Friday.
The incident provided a handy reminder of the success the 33-year-old Yorkshireman has enjoyed in eight seasons with the Raiders, making him perhaps the most durable of all British exports to the NRL, even if he has never made the headlines of Adrian Morley, Sam Burgess, James Graham or now Dom Young.
The Dragons game was Whitehead’s 181st in Canberra green, meaning he is on course to join an elite group to have made 200 appearances for the Raiders at some stage in 2024, form and fitness permitting – currently a list of 13 names which is topped by Jason and Jarrod Croker and also includes such legends as Laurie Daley, Steve Walters, Ruben Wiki and David Furner.
He had already made 109 appearances for his hometown Bradford Bulls, and 68 for Catalans Dragons, and after last autumn’s World Cup his tally also includes 23 England caps, as well as four for Great Britain – with his 10 England tries a record for a forward. A total of 400 senior appearances is well within reach.
These are seriously impressive statistics, and James Graham was happy to pay tribute to his former Test team-mate when contacted at home in Sydney earlier this week.
“He’s had a huge career over here,” said Graham, who was four years into his stint with Canterbury Bulldogs when Whitehead arrived.
“He probably came as a bit of an unknown. But straight away his impact was phenomenal. He’s been a huge reason why the Raiders have come so close a couple of times, and it looks like they’re firing up again this year as well.
“He’s Mr Consistent, in all areas of the game. You don’t get bad games with him, and he’s never a drain on resources. That’s one of the reasons his coaches and team-mates all love him. As a coach you know what you’re going to get from him – he doesn’t let people down. His work-rate is phenomenal.
“I can tell Piers Morgan and anyone else that he’s an absolute top bloke as well, from my experiences of being in England and GB camps with him – I gravitated to him straight away. He’s up front, no ego, and funny.
“It speaks volumes about the type of player and bloke he is that he’s been appointed captain by the Raiders – and that he’ll still be doing interviews with supporters and players in the sheds.
“And as for the stuff that Piers Morgan wrote – I can tell you he’s as proud an Englishman, and Yorkshireman, as you will come across. You only have to see the way he has played in the England shirt to see that.”
