Wests Tigers’ James Tedesco takes the positives out of Greg Inglis towelling him up

IF JAMES Tedesco was being talked up as a NSW No.1 candidate, Greg Inglis certainly went out of his way to knock the poor kid back to earth.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 22: Greg Inglis of the Rabbitohs scores a try during the round three NRL match between the South Sydney Rabbitohs and the Wests Tigers at ANZ Stadium on March 22, 2015 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

IF JAMES Tedesco was being talked up as a NSW No.1 candidate, Greg Inglis certainly went out of his way to knock the poor kid back to earth.

Tedesco would have had nightmares about the way Inglis went out of his way to terrorise his younger rival in attack and defence last weekend.

On one occasion, Inglis stormed over the top of Tedesco for a close-range try, only to look at him the whole time, then stand up and bark a few words of encouragement.

Tedesco now knows he must put that Inglis lesson behind him and focus on the Wests Tigers’ clash against Canterbury on Friday night.

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“I guess he was just trying to prove a point to the young guy coming through,’’ Tedesco said on Wednesday.

“He was probably just proving a point he’s the best fullback in the game, and I have to try and keep up with him.

“I didn’t realise (he singled me out) until people told me after the game and I watched it back.

“It’s part of the game. You can’t have any hard feelings. He’s the best player in the game at the moment, and he showed that on the weekend.

“That’s who I aspire to be like, he shows that aggression, and I have to try and keep up with him.

“It wasn’t my best game, and I definitely have to work on my consistency and keep improving if I want to have a chance of playing for the Blues.’’

Tedesco led the Tigers’ first-half blitz against the Dragons six days earlier, but was under a lot of pressure against the Rabbits as they struggled to complete their sets.

Tigers skipper Robbie Farah said Tedesco wasn’t the first player to come off second best against Inglis, “and he won’t be the last’’.

“Like any young kid, they get disappointed when they don’t have their best game, but as I said to Teddy on the field and after the game, ‘you’ll win more for us than you’ll lose’,’’ Farah said.

“It’s all part of the learning experience. GI has outplayed plenty of players during his time. We didn’t help Teddy with the amount of ball we dropped, and how much pressure we put ourselves under. He shouldn’t lose any confidence from that.’’

The Tigers can take heart that even though they did drop so much ball, the premiers didn’t blow them off the park when it came to the scoreboard.

Tedesco was happy for the quick turnaround against Canterbury, who also have a gun No.1 in Brett Morris.

Like Tedesco, Morris is more of a running fullback who is always lethal in attack.

“His running is something we have to watch out for, especially in broken play,’’ Tedesco said.

“He’s able to break the line easily and creates attacking opportunities.’’

Tedesco said he was looking forward to playing along side debutant winger Delouise Hoeter, a youngster who looks exactly like Sam Perrett, the Bulldogs winger he’ll oppose.

Originally published as Wests Tigers’ James Tedesco takes the positives out of Greg Inglis towelling him up