EORL CRABTREE has taken a long time to live up to his names. Or, at least, longer than many expected when the blond giant made his debut for Huddersfield in 2001.

Physically and as a ball-player, Crabtree appeared to have it all. He was even quick enough to spend a season as a centre. But while he became a fixture in Huddersfield’s first team and played for the England development sides, only now, some eight years later, is he reaching his full potential.

According to former Leeds and Great Britain prop Barrie McDermott, that should be a lesson to other promising forwards.

“Sometimes, as a front-rower, it takes that long to learn the trade,” said McDermott. “Earlier on in his career, he clearly wasn’t the finished article, and over time people began to criticise him for it, but he kept battling away and working hard. Now he looks like the complete player.”

Crabtree admits he was beginning to wonder whether the time when he was sufficiently well-regarded in his own right not to be automatically introduced as the nephew of the wrestler Big Daddy would ever come.

“It wasn’t that I’m not proud of what my uncle achieved,” said Crabtree as Huddersfield completed their preparations for today’s Challenge Cup semi-final against St Helens. “But I’m even prouder of the fact that his father, my granddad, played for Halifax against York in the Challenge Cup final of 1931.

“It’s good that people are finally talking about me purely in the context of rugby league. But I’d be even more pleased if playing at Wembley became a family tradition.”

It could happen, because while Saints, appearing in a record ninth successive Challenge Cup semi-final, have to be the favourites, Huddersfield are the most improved team of the season. The Giants have broken into the Super League top four on merit, with Crabtree in the forefront of the physical battle. Which is as it should be for a man whose first name is Anglo-Saxon for “leader”.

“Yes, so far the year couldn’t have gone much better,” Crabtree acknowledged. “The team has begun to show what it’s capable of, and I feel as though I’ve played my part in that. Getting picked for England [in the mid-season international against France] was a real boost, and hopefully this is just the start.”

So why the step up now, after years of treading water? “It’s a number of things coming together, but Nathan Brown coming in as a coach is definitely one of them. Technically he knows his stuff and has tweaked a few little things, so along with the assistant coach Paul Anderson, he has pushed my game along.

“But he hasn’t tried to get me to change too much. It’s more that he’s looked at what I can do well, and adapted the way the team plays to work with that. Training is exact and scientific, which it also was under [previous coach] Jon Sharp, but it’s also more flexible. We feel as though everybody’s improved, which makes you more confident, and the results we’ve been getting have added to that.”

Crabtree also points to the influence of players Brown has brought in, particularly former Wests Tigers full-back Brett Hodgson, who has captained the Giants this season. Such has been the feelgood factor around the Galpharm Stadium, signing a new six-year contract last month was an easy decision for Crabtree.

Today’s match, Crabtree accepts, could present a contrast of styles, but while a large part of Huddersfield’s success this season has been down to the speed, power and organisation of their defensive work, he believes their attacking threat should not be underestimated. “Everyone knows Saints are dangerous from every part of the field, but we can hurt teams too. And that’s in attack and defence.”

ON TV TODAY St Helens v Huddersfield 3.30pm, BBC2