Hull KR star Matt Parcell explains the moment he thought his career was over
Aussie hooker Matt Parcell, 31, is heading home after the Grand Final against Wigan having scraped through tense semi against Warrington
by David Craven · The MirrorMatt Parcell feared his career was over on Friday - but is now preparing to make history with Hull KR.
The Aussie hooker is still only 31 but revealed recently he’ll step away from professional rugby league at the end of the season and head home. He thought that day had come when Rovers were on the ropes in their Super League semi-final against Warrington. However, they held on for a famous 10-8 win and are now counting down the days to a title decider against Wigan.
Parcell recalled: “I was thinking in the back of my head… ‘f**! If they score here it will be tough. Just don’t let them score.’ It’s just one of those things. You’ve got to keep going. If it happens, it happens. Luckily we ground it out. And now it’s all about Saturday.”
It’s the East Yorkshire club’s first experience of the Grand Final but Parcell has been there before and done it. He was part of the Leeds side that won the decider against Castleford in 2017. On that night, Rob Burrow got the perfect send-off to his playing career with fellow Super League legend Danny McGuire also signing off with a win before joining Rovers.
Parcell would love nothing better than enjoying the same experience. He said: “Exactly. Obviously, it would be awesome. We’ve got there now. And I know it’s going to be my last game. So it’s just about going there, preparing the best I can, playing the best I can and whatever happens, happens. But I’ll be doing everything possible to try and lift that trophy again.”
Parcell, who joined Rovers in 2019, believes they have enough experience to handle the occasion, especially having learned from the painful Wembley loss against Leigh. He said: “We’ve got myself who’s been there at Old Trafford, Ryan [Hall] has been there plenty of times and a few others. It’s an exciting time, especially for the club being the first time getting there.
“But getting there is not enough. We had heartache last year with the Challenge Cup and now we want to put that right. We want to be the first here to win Super League which would be cool.”
And, despite playing some of the best rugby league of his career, Parcell insists he won’t perform a U-turn on his retirement decision. He said: “I do feel like I’m playing really well but I feel that’s a good time to go out. It’s a tough sport and if you’re not playing well I think it’d be a pretty brutal sport. Obviously to finish at Old Trafford is really, really cool so, no, I won’t.”
Meanwhile, Rovers sold 10,000 tickets inside just 12 hours after reaching Old Trafford. RL Commercial say they are expecting a crowd of more than 65,000, which will be the biggest Grand Final attendance since 2017. They have also signed a new three-year deal to keep staging the showpiece at Old Trafford until at least the end of 2027.
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