St George Illawarra rookie Tristan Sailor sets sail for No.1 jersey
He carries a famous surname but Tristan Sailor is looking to make his own mark and claim a crucial spot in the St George Illawarra Dragons’ backline.
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St George Illawarra may have little left to play for but Tristan Sailor is using his foray into the top grade to press his claims to be the Dragons’ long-term No.1.
Sailor is on the verge of inking a new contract with the club, just days after making his NRL debut.
Corey Norman will return to the halves next year to partner Ben Hunt with departing skipper Gareth Widdop joining Warrington. That will pave the way for Sailor to press his claims as the Dragons’ first-choice fullback.
“I want to have that hard pre-season, get fit, get strong and staking my claim for that No.1 jersey,” Sailor said.
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“I talk to the performance staff they are happy with where (my weight is) at the moment. They say I’m strong enough in the gym and I’m 84-85 kilos that’s OK for fullback. I wouldn’t mind putting on a few more kilos as long as it doesn’t affect my speed.”
Sailor was a rare shining light for the Dragons in their last-start 34-12 loss to the Sydney Roosters.
He has again been named to play fullback against the Wests Tigers on Sunday but his position is dependent on Hunt again failing to play because of a concussion.
Sailor has watched patiently as a host of his close friends, including Jackson Ford and Jason Saab, made their NRL debuts before him.
He had been 18th man on a handful of occasions and came very close to being a last minute call up against Parramatta earlier this month when Zac Lomax hurt his hamstring in the warm-up.
“Some of the boys were saying get ready,” Sailor said. “I know we had Mikaele (Ravalawa) in the 21 so I sort of knew he would get put in. I wasn’t angry because I knew what was best for the team.
“All my coaches would say to me just stay patient. It was my physicality side that I needed to gain.
“After the big pre-season this year and playing consistency in reserve grade it gave me confidence in physicality. Last year I could’ve been ab it worried. This year I was confident waiting my time.”
Sailor prepared for his top grade debut by sitting in a Kiama bookshop listening to author Tom Slee speak about his book “Taking Tom Murray” last Friday. The avid reader will again sit in that bookshop on Saturday night less than 24 hours before his second top grade game should Hunt be ruled out.
“Reading is a big hobby of mine,” the commerce student said. “I’m reading One Day by David Nicholls and he will be speaking this Saturday.”
Originally published as St George Illawarra rookie Tristan Sailor sets sail for No.1 jersey
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