IT’S amazing how much easier it is to play this game when you’ve got a smile on your face.
And, right now, we’ve got quite a lot to smile about.
When I was first appointed captain I can remember saying that I had never been around a group of players who have shared so many laughs at training, even though we were being worked so hard.
Not surprisingly, those big laughs have continued as a result of the start we have made of the season.
We really do enjoy each other’s company, and the camaraderie is something very special indeed.
And I think that has been one of the reasons why we have been winning our really tight games.
When you get on so well as a group, you’re definitely more prepared to work and hurt for each other.
We certainly had to dig incredibly deep to win at Bradford, Castleford and Wigan when we showed just what can be achieved if we stick together.
That’s part of the culture Nathan has brought over with him, and it’s fantastic that it’s reaping such rich rewards.
Obviously, we hope we can keep these smiles on our faces for as long as possible and keep on chalking up the wins.
Personally, I can’t see any reason at all why that won’t happen.


As well as working so hard for each other, we’re also still in a pretty good shape.
We once again came through a tough game at Wigan unscathed, which means Browny continues to have a virtually full-strength squad at his disposal.
On top of that. we’ve also now got my good mate Liam Fulton on board to add to the selection headache.
It’s at times like this I don’t envy Browny having to decide who to play and who to leave out.
But, there again, that’s why the head coach earns the  big bucks!

IT was fantastic to see my old mate Liam Fulton walk in to training this week.

We were teammates at Wests Tigers in the Australian NRL and I’ve known him really well for about four or five years.

So when I knew we were going to sign him I was absolutely delighted.

Liam’s a good, hard-working player on defence and a good ball handler, and will definitely add to the quality of the squad.

To be honest, he struggled to find a permanent position at the Tigers, spending half his time on the right edge and half on the left.

He also alternated between stand-off and back-row forward, although he was excellent whatever role he played.

It will be very interesting, therefore, to see where Browny decides to play him.

But wherever it is, I know Liam will prove a major asset.