Herbie Farnworth: ‘I had to leave for Australia if I wanted to be the best’

The two ends of Herbie Farnworth’s story to this point could not be more different. Before earning an England call-up on Friday for the World Cup he made his name in Australia with the NRL’s Brisbane Broncos having left home at 17 to pursue his dream. That home? The small Lancashire parish of Blacko, where about 700 people live and, in Farnworth’s words, “everyone knows everyone”.

The modest, roughly cut fields there are where the 22-year-old not only learned to play the game but trained with his uncle as recently as this week in preparation for his England debut. “It’s been a long journey,” says Farnworth of his unconventional path.

That journey seems even more unorthodox when you learn that Farnworth was in the youth setup at Manchester United and Burnley and was even given a guided tour by Manchester City. “They gave me a couple pairs of really cool Nike boots,” he says, laughing.

But Farnworth’s mind had already been made up: he wanted to play rugby league, not football, and after excelling for Wigan St Patricks was courted by Wigan Warriors. However, Farnworth and his uncle, the former Wigan scout Brian Foley, had a different plan.

At the age of 14, they flew to Australia for six weeks to test Farnworth against the world’s best juniors. The talent scouts who spotted him were stunned to learn he was English. “I knew from a young age I had to get out there if I wanted to be the best, I had to train with the best,” he says.

Brisbane eventually secured Farnworth’s signature and at the age of 17 he left Blacko and his family behind for Queensland. “The move there was horrible,” he says.

“I remember my last day over here. I went for a curry with my mates. I walked to the bus stop after and started crying. I’d just turned