I HAVE to admit this has been a pretty mixed week for me.

On Sunday, there was the delight of beating Hull in our first home game of the season, which has moved us up to third in the Super League table.

But then it was followed with the news a couple of days later that I’d been left out of the Elite England squad – the squad from which the England side for the mid-season and end-of-season Tests is usually selected.

Obviously, after playing for England in last season’s Four Nations tournament in Australia and New Zealand, that was disappointing.

At the same time, however, I was also delighted we had a highly-impressive nine players selected for either the Elite Squad or the England Knights, which is the new squad for the nation’s rising stars.

In the Elite squad, there’s Eorl Crabtree, Leroy Cudjoe, Luke Robinson and the ‘new boy’ Danny Brough.

Then in the Knights, we’ve got Dale Ferguson, Michael Lawrence, Shaun Lunt, Jermaine McGillvary and Larne Patrick.

That’s a fantastic achievement, and as Giants captain I couldn’t be happier about it.

I’m really pleased Broughy’s efforts have been rewarded with a call.

In my opinion, Danny (right) is by far the best scrum-half in the competition and his selection is thoroughly deserved.

Since he’s arrived here, he’s just been getting better and better, and it’s clear to everyone how much he has been benefiting from working under Browny.

And I also think that’s the case with the boys who have been called up to the Knights.

I suppose Bruno’s (Lawrence’s) selection isn’t that great a surprise because he’s been performing at a very high level for a couple of years now, but it’s only in recent times that Jerry and Larne have come to the fore.

We’ve known at the club for some time that they are players with a tremendous amount of ability, and it’s great that they are now gaining wider recognition.

As a result of these calls, you won’t be surprised to hear there’s a big buzz around the place, and that’s certainly helped me get over my own personal disappointment.

But, to be honest, not being called up hasn’t in the least affected my attitude to training or playing.

My No1 priority will always be to work as hard as I can for the benefit of Huddersfield Giants. That’s something that will never change.

I always regard any international recognition as a bonus and, in the bigger scheme of things, an England call-up right now is the last thing on my mind.

What matters at this very moment is beating Harlequins tonight. Nothing else counts.