RETURNING Giants hero Chris Thorman has turned his back on a second year in Australia to move back to the McAlpine.

Despite Parramatta coach Brian Smith wanting him to stay with the top NRL side, the 23-year-old admitted the chance to play with Huddersfield again was just too big a pull.

The exciting half-back played for the Giants between 2000 and 2003, and produced a stunning man-of-the-match performance in the NFP Grand Final triumph over Leigh which signalled a return to Super League.

But in that victorious NFP season Thorman was only on-loan with the Giants, having signed a two-year contract with London Broncos following Huddersfield's drop out of the top-flight the season before.

But as soon as the Giants went back up, London immediately recalled Thorman.

It was clear it was a move the Newcastle-born player didn't really want.

Yet it didn't prevent him from helping guide the Broncos into the top six and representing England A.

It also didn't stop him producing a man-of-the-mach performance as Yorkshire thrashed Lancashire in the State of Origin clash at Odsal.

Such was the quality of his displays that he was signed up by Parramatta, where he has been one of the few success stories during a disappointing season for the Eels.

But now Thorman is ready to return to the rugby league club he calls `home'.

And he couldn't be happier.

"I think everyone knows I didn't want to leave Huddersfield in the first place," admitted Thorman, speaking from his home in Australia.

"If I could have had my way, I would still have been here now.

"But next year I'll be back, and to be honest I'm over the moon about it.

"Having said that, I enjoyed the experience of playing in London with the Broncos, and I'm loving the challenge of playing in Australia with the Eels.

"But I have to be honest and admit that I'm missing home. I'm missing my family and I'm missing my friends, many of which are still playing for the Giants.

"Brian did want me to stay on at Parramatta, but once I knew there was a chance I could come back to Huddersfield my mind was made up.

"There were other clubs very interested in me, but as far as I'm concerned it had to be the Giants.

"I know the area, I know the club and I know who's coaching the club.

"Put that together and it really is the ideal combination for more.

"Furthermore, it's the closest Super League club to where my family live in the north east.

"It means within two hours I can be back visiting my parents and my brothers, and for me that counts for an awful lot .

"Even though the deal with the Giants has only just been struck, I'm already thinking about buying a house in the town.

"That's how much I love the place."