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NATHAN Cleary is hoping one-on-one video sessions with NSW great Andrew Johns will help him create his own State of Origin highlights reel — rolling rugby league coverage.
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Looks like Anthony Gelling set for a return to these shores next season… with Widnes.
— Phil Wilkinson (@PWilkinsonWIG) July 4, 2018
Some big news from our own Phil Rothfield – Blake Ferguson has signed a three-year deal with Parramatta.
The Knights and the Sharks both wanted him, but Parra trumped them with the length of the deal.
More here: https://t.co/2g06dD84v1
LEWIS WANTS ANOTHER DEAL
He’s the nephew of the Emperor of Lang Park and he’s out to secure his spot at Belmore.
Canterbury playmaker Lachlan Lewis is determined to step out of the long shadow of his uncle, Immortal Wally Lewis – and earn a new NRL contract in the process. The 21-year-old made his debut in last week’s pressure-relieving win over Newcastle after coming in for injured marquee man Kieran Foran. Since entering the NRL system eight years ago, most of the focus has centred around his relation to the former Brisbane, Queensland and Australian skipper. While Lewis wants to be his own man, and his achievements spoken about in their own rights, he takes the constant comparisons in his stride. Asked if he was sick of hearing his uncles’ name muttered in the same breath as his, Lewis said: “He’s just family, he’s my uncle.
“Footballing-wise he doesn’t really get too involved. The four brothers they played football and they all pitch in when they want to and add their two cents. “No one gets too emotional with it.
“You know what, it was more Lincoln Lewis when I was in Brisbane – it was more the Home and Away rise to fame. I copped that during school.” Lewis was signed to a development deal with Canberra as a 13-year-old and came up through the ranks.
Ahead of Saturday’s showdown with the Raiders, he emphasised it was his decision to leave the nation’s capital and he owed a lot of his development to the club. With his path into first-grade seemingly blocked, he moved to Canterbury for an opportunity.
He is off-contract at the end of the season and with Foran and Jeremy Marshall- King on contract and Jack Cogger arriving from Newcastle next year, he now faces another battle for his future.
“I’m still buzzing off the high of playing,” Lewis said.
“Focusing in on the next nine weeks, I want to establish a hold here. “I’m off contract. That’s a big focus for me, to move forward and put my best foot forward. I’m just hoping to have a good nine, solid games.”
-AAP
CLEARY’S MASTERCLASS WITH JOEY JOHNS
Nathan Cleary is hoping one-on-one video sessions with NSW great Andrew Johns will help him create his own State of Origin highlights reel.
Not satisfied with helping steer the Blues to just their second series win in 13 years, Cleary has been working overtime with Johns to elevate his Origin game.
“I think they were solid performances without being great and that’s something to work on,” Cleary told AAP of his individual efforts so far in the series.
“Ultimately, I’m really happy that we got the series win. But I think myself as a player can strive to get better and play some better footy. And when he asked for Johns’ appraisal, the rugby league Immortal didn’t mince his words.
“The foundation is there, now you’ve got to build on that. Build your attacking game and work from there,” Johns told him.
Cleary has had just six less touches than Maloney over the opening two games, however he has largely taken a back seat behind his more experienced halves partner.
Maloney has four try assists – a series high – as well as two line break assists, while his younger halves partner has yet to register one in either category.
But even with the series decided, Cleary insists he’s not “self-indulged” enough to begin overcalling his veteran teammate next Wednesday night.
“We’re playing to win so whatever works out better for the team, I’m happy to do,” he said.
“I don’t think I’m too self-indulged that I want to get myself in the game. If that harms the team, I don’t want to be doing that. It’s just how the game works out and how it fits in the game plan.”
While he assumes Origin would be toughest level of physicality in the game, Cleary concedes being challenged by the mental toll of the interstate series.
As the Blues look to lift the shield with a series whitewash, Cleary’s NRL side Penrith are in danger of dropping out of the all-important top four with back- to-back defeats.
“But I definitely can’t use that as an excuse for my club form. It’s obviously harder, but people have been doing it for years now and you’ve just got to deal with it,” he said.
“It’s what comes with being an Origin player. The mental preparation. Physically I’m fine, I probably just wasn’t mentally as switched on as what I need to do be.”
The Blues had a rest day Wednesday but will resume preparations with their major training session of the build-up on Thursday, where captain Boyd Cordner will test his calf.
Cordner sat out most of Tuesday’s field run, but is adamant he will be fit to play.
TOTAL TOUCHES SO FAR IN STATE OF ORIGIN 2018
Damien Cook – 236 Andrew McCullough – 167 Ben Hunt – 122 James Maloney -116 Nathan Cleary – 110 Cameron Munster – 97
– Matt Encarnacion
LEWIS OUT TO EARN CONTRACT EXTENSION
He’s the nephew of the Emperor of Lang Park and he’s out to secure his spot at Belmore.
Canterbury playmaker Lachlan Lewis is determined to step out of the long shadow of his uncle, Immortal Wally Lewis – and earn a new NRL contract in the process.
The 21-year-old made his debut in last week’s pressure-relieving win over Newcastle after coming in for injured marquee man Kieran Foran. Since entering the NRL system eight years ago, most of the focus has centred around his relation to the former Brisbane, Queensland and Australian skipper.
While Lewis wants to be his own man, and his achievements spoken about in their own rights, he takes the constant comparisons in his stride.
Asked if he was sick of hearing his uncles’ name muttered in the same breath as his, Lewis said: “He’s just family, he’s my uncle.
“Footballing-wise he doesn’t really get too involved. The four brothers they played football and they all pitch in when they want to and add their two cents.
“No one gets too emotional with it.
“You know what, it was more Lincoln Lewis when I was in Brisbane – it was more the Home and Away rise to fame. I copped that during school.”
Lewis was signed to a development deal with Canberra as a 13-year-old and came up through the ranks.
Ahead of Saturday’s showdown with the Raiders, he emphasised it was his decision to leave the nation’s capital and he owed a lot of his development to the club. With his path into first-grade seemingly blocked, he moved to Canterbury for an opportunity.
He is off-contract at the end of the season and with Foran and Jeremy Marshall- King on contract and Jack Cogger arriving from Newcastle next year, he now faces another battle for his future.
“I’m still buzzing off the high of playing,” Lewis said.
“Focusing in on the next nine weeks, I want to establish a hold here. “I’m off contract. That’s a big focus for me, to move forward and put my best foot forward. I’m just hoping to have a good nine, solid games.”
– Steve Zemek
MCGREGOR: QLD ABANDON MOTTO, CRUEL ON HUNT
They built a State of Origin dynasty on a “pick-and-stick” policy, but NSW great Paul McGregor reckons Queensland have abandoned it by axing Ben Hunt as halfback for game three.
Hunt had just two shots in the No.7 jumper for the Maroons – both ending in defeats – before selectors opted to hand his spot to Manly star Daly Cherry- Evans.
McGregor, who coaches Hunt at St George Illawarra, wasn’t happy with Hunt’s demotion from Queensland’s chief playmaker to bench utility.
“I’m happy for NSW because I’m a New South Welshman, but I am certainly disappointed on an individual basis for Benny,” McGregor said on Wednesday.
“However, he will do a very good job off the interchange. With Benny coming on in that dummy half – which one would think – he could cause some trouble late in the game.
“It gives Queensland a different dimension but I still feel that Benny didn’t do enough wrong.”
Queensland were on the lookout for a new halves star following the representative retirements of Cooper Cronk and Johnathan Thurston over the past 12 months.
And Hunt earned his chance after delivering on his big-money move to Wollongong by leading the Dragons to the top of the table before the series.
But the 28-year-old was heavily criticised for his performance in game two. Asked whether the Maroons defied their own pick-and-stick policy, McGregor said: “Looks like it, doesn’t it?
“Well, they haven’t lost for a while so I think losing challenges them in all different areas. They’ve been very fortunate to have stability in their side.
“You’re talking about players in that team that will go down as the all-time best. I’ll never see a couple of them players again in my lifetime.
“For me, it was a good opportunity this year for NSW. They’ve lost the first two games. They’ve made change, that’s their choice.”
With the ladder-leading Dragons primed for a premiership tilt, McGregor insisted Hunt’s axing wouldn’t derail his – and the team’s – campaign.
Asked whether he was concerned his confidence would drop, McGregor said: “No. “You need to just relax. He’s had some very good games for our club.
“And when he comes back, which will be after this game, he’s got eight weeks to finish the season how he’s played the first two thirds of it.”
– Matt Encarnacion
BELLAMY’S GRIM FORECAST FOR RED V
Craig Bellamy has laid down the challenge to St George Illawarra, predicting they’re set to pay a heavy toll for their State of Origin representation.
While the Dragons are riding high at the top of the NRL ladder ahead of Thursday’s clash with the third-placed Melbourne, they are facing an Origin drain the likes of which they haven’t felt in seven years.
Paul McGregor will be missing Ben Hunt, Paul Vaughan, Tyson Frizell, Jack de Belin and Tariq Sims when the two sides clash at AAMI Park.
Not since 2011, when they had eight Origin players in their ranks, have the Dragons had so many players absent due to Queensland and NSW duties. As well, Gareth Widdop, James Graham and Leeon Ah Mau were involved in the mid- season Denver Test.
While Bellamy has not wavered from his belief that the Dragons are the competition benchmark, he argued that it all took an emotional and physical toll.
“I don’t think they’ve had a big representation in Origin in the past few years,” Bellamy said.
“This year they have. With a couple of their top players in Gareth and James Graham having to go to Denver, we know the affect that had on Nelson (Asofa- Solomona). It’s a new experience for them this year, having so many guys in rep footy.
“If you’ve got a lot of players playing Origin, that really affects you. I think they’ll find it’ll probably affect them after Origin too. Sometimes if you’re playing your first Origin series, it takes a lot out of you physically and mentally.
“I’m sure they’ll be there when the whips are cracking at the end because they played well at the start of the season and they know what works for them.”
The Dragons did show signs of rust in their thrilling 20-18 win over last-placed Parramatta last week, with McGregor later conceding they were “out-enthused”.
The Storm will have six players on Origin duty in Billy Slater, Will Chambers, Cameron Munster, Felise Kaufusi, Tim Glasby and Josh Addo-Carr.
After watching his side get convincingly beaten 34-14 by the Dragons in round nine, Bellamy declared the Dragons the competition “benchmark” – a claim treated with bemusement by McGregor.
Bellamy described it as a turning point in their season and said they were a better team than three months ago.
“We got a bit of a touch up – that’s what I took away from that,” Bellamy said. “We were really disappointed in our performance that day and they were very, very good.
“We learned a little bit about ourselves that game and what we need to do if we’re going to go deep into the season. We’ve really worked on a few of those things but it’s a different game tomorrow night.”
– Steve Zemek
GILLETT RACING CLOCK TO BE FIT FOR FINALS
MATT Gillett’s nightmare season has continued with the Broncos back-rower racing the clock to be fit for the finals after tearing his calf muscle.
Details: https://bit.ly/2KsWRJ2
HODGSON: COMEBACK EXCEEDED ALL EXPECTATIONS
Star Canberra hooker Josh Hodgson’s return from an ACL injury has been even better than he expected.
The English international has slotted seamlessly back into the Raiders’ NRL side despite only having knee surgery in December following the injury at last year’s World Cup.
While Hodgson has dominated in his two appearances, he says he can’t get complacent with his rehabilitation.
“I felt really good going into the games and the knee’s been pulling up really well, no real stiffness,” Hodgson said on Wednesday.
“I’ve been working really hard when I was injured on the rehab but this is the most important part now when I’m playing not to get a bit complacent.
“It’s still a grey area for 18 months, the surgeon likes you to keep on top of it, so there’s still a lot of work with it but in terms of games it’s been fine.”
Hodgson has performed so well he was asked if he thought his return was the best ever from an ACL.
But the 28-year-old answered the question by paying credit to the Raiders’ rehab coach Ryan Clayton for having him firing.
“It’s always nice to know you fitted in well after coming back,” Hodgson said.
“I probably didn’t like him (Clayton) for a while because he was flogging me for six months but he’s done a fantastic job with me.”
Hodgson played the full 80 minutes in the Raiders’ loss to Brisbane last Saturday following his first-up performance off the bench against Wests Tigers.
His efforts saw him compared with the most decorated No.9 in rugby league by NSW coach Brad Fittler.
“He (Hodgson) is just such quality. He’s got like a Cameron Smith aura on the field, total control of the ruck and he just gets everyone guessing,” Fittler told the Nine Network.
“Look at the hooker, he’s the first person to get the ball, so if everyone plays off him then it questions the defence every play and that’s why Cameron Smith is so good.”
– Oliver Caffrey
