Rob Purdham admits getting back to business with Harlequins RL has offered him some solace as he looks to rebuild his life following the murder of his brother.

Older sibling Garry was one of the victims of the recent Cumbria massacre, shot as he worked in the fields on his farm.

And Quins skipper Purdham, who returned to action at Hull KR on Sunday after compassionate leave, reveals his family’s entire world has been turned upside down.

He said: “The simple fact is my life has changed forever and it will never be the same again.

“All we can do now as a family is try our best to get back to our normal lives and for me that is rugby league.

“All I want to do now is to play the best I can and make sure my brother is proud of me.

“The last couple of weeks have been absolutely horrible but everyone up in Whitehaven wanted me to start playing again and my brother would have wanted me to carry on.

“Playing rugby is something I have always wanted to do with my life and Garry backed me all the way in that.”

Purdham’s return was not a successful one though, as Quins’ play-off hopes suffered a hammer blow as they slumped 42-6 at Craven Park.

The 30-year-old was thrown in at stand-off for the clash and accepted it had not been one of his side’s better displays.

Purdham added: “It was a very up and down game for us - we had our chances in the first half but we blew it and that cost us dear.

“I gave a loose pass at the start of the second half and suddenly we were 24-0 down and that was that really.

“It was a tough old day for all of us and one we need to put behind us.”

With the defeat the Londoners now sit seven points off the prized play-off places with just ten places to come, starting with heavyweights Wigan on Saturday at the Stoop.

But, despite the chips looking down, Purdham has refused to write off a top-eight spot this season.

He added: “Our aim is to keep playing until we cannot get into the play-offs.

“That is the reason we all play the game.

“As long as there is a chance we will keep fighting and that starts this weekend.”

The Quins skipper is also eager to put his name forward for the proposed Cumbria versus England charity match, announced last week and scheduled for Whitehaven in October.

And Purdham reckons the showpiece clash will do a lot to lift the mood in his home county.

He added: “It will be fantastic if the game goes ahead.

“I know it would mean a lot to the people up there to have England go and play in Whitehaven and I would love to be involved.

“It would be a real honour for me to lead out Cumbria for that game, but to be honest I would be happy just to play.”