HUDDERSFIELD enforcer Eorl Crabtree will draw inspiration from the past deeds of his family as he runs out in this weekend’s Carnegie Challenge Cup final.
Wembley has always held a special resonance for Crabtree after his grandfather Shirley helped Halifax to get there in 1931 and his uncle, famously known as Big Daddy, wrestled there in his heyday.
Crabtree now wants to create his own piece of family history as the Giants take on Warrington, looking to win the Challenge Cup for the first time since 1953.
“To go to Wembley and win would be a dream come true,” said 26-year-old Crabtree. “There is a lot of history there for me personally, and it is something I have always thought about.
“My uncle and my grandad were there, so I get to follow suit. It’s fantastic for me to follow in their footsteps.
“My grandad went down to Wembley with Halifax. He didn’t actually play but he went down and got a Challenge Cup winners’ medal.
“I hope I can get one as well.
“I don’t know anything about my uncle being there – it was a bit before my time – but I know he went to Wembley, and that’s all that matters.”
Shirley Crabtree senior, who earned his medal for playing in earlier rounds, made more than 100 appearances for Halifax in the 1930s.
His son, also named Shirley, found fame in wrestling and took on Giant Haystacks at Wembley in one of a number of bouts during his sport’s golden era of the 1970s and 1980s.
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