The engage Super League season is well underway now and weekly training at Warrington Wolves is in full swing. But I must confess in my spare time I like to keep an eye on the NBA in America.

Shooting Hoops
I started playing basketball from the age of six (before I played Rugby League in fact) and I still follow the game closely now.

Michael Jordan was a big hero for me and I used to follow his career a lot. Since he retired no NBA player has really caught my imagination.

I played as a point guard, that's the play-making position. It's a bit different to my role as a winger in Rugby League but at least I understand the type of responsibility my Wolves teammates Lee Briers and Michael Monaghan face when they play stand-off and scrum half.

The other basketball fan at Warrington Wolves is our Kiwi forward Vinnie Anderson.

He was a very good schoolboy player back in his native New Zealand and we took the opportunity to have a one-on-one clash on our pre-season training camp last January. It was the sort of dribbling and shootout contest you see at Rucker Park in New York - only, not quite as spectacular!

Anyway Vinnie won pretty convincingly. He really does have a big talent for the game... not to mention his hands are massive!

After we came off court we were chatting about the current NBA scene and we both reckon Boston Celtics are the team to follow this season. You read it here first sports fans!

Big Aussies
Back to Rugby League ....and it's the Carnegie World Club Challenge next week between Leeds Rhinos and Aussie champs Melbourne Storm.

My big Aussie teammate Matt King used to play for the Storm and he's been giving us the low-down on his former club.

Although Melbourne have changed quite a bit since they won the title last season, they're still an amazing outfit. The Rhinos are a great team too and have a host of internationals in their squad.

I reckon it will be a great game and I'll certainly be watching.

Here's another tip for you; watch out for the Storm's big centre Israel Folau.

I played against him when I was in the England Academy and he was in the Australian Schoolboys team. He's a big dude and really dangerous in attack.

Losing Local Derby!
Of course everybody in our team was disappointed not to get the win against St Helens last Friday.

It's always special to be involved a local derby like that but the atmosphere was really amazing at the stadium last Friday and the game was really intense.

We've got Hull Kingston Rovers away this Sunday and that'll be another tough one - they all are in Super League!

Rovers have started the season really well and look in good form but we'll be giving it everything we've got to win.