Sharks rookie Kyle Flanagan to help Blues overcome Ben Hunt
HE dreams of one day wearing the sky-blue of NSW, but for now Sharks rookie Kyle Flanagan is a Queenslander. For today only, Flanagan will become Maroons halfback Ben Hunt to assist the Blues most important training hit-out ahead of Origin II.
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HE dreams of one day wearing the sky-blue of NSW, but for now Kyle Flanagan is a Queenslander.
For today only, Flanagan will become Maroons halfback Ben Hunt to assist the Blues most important training hit-out of their entire Origin II campaign.
In their second-last training session at Coogee Oval before Sunday night’s blockbuster, Brad Fittler’s NSW side is scheduled for an opposed session against the NSW Residents side, of which Flanagan is the halfback.
Selected to play against the Queensland Residents in a curtain-raiser on Sunday night at ANZ Stadium, the NSW Residents representation is reward for the best Intrust Super Premiership players in NSW.
Despite still being eligible for the NSW under-20s, Flanagan was chosen above his age bracket as the NSW Residents halfback following a strong start to the season with Sharks feeder-club, Newtown.
Fellow rising stars Billy Brittain (South Sydney), Blake Brailey (Cronulla), Dean Britt (Souths) and Maiko Sivo (Penrith) are also part of the Residents.
The Residents squad also boasts a sprinkling of NRL experienced players including Eels forward Suaia Matagi, Wests Tigers forward JJ Felise and Cronulla duo Aaron Gray and Scott Sorensen.
The Coogee Oval training session is crucial in the Blues being able to nail down their attacking sets against moving opposition - instead of themselves.
It’s also a chance for NSW coach Brad Fittler to prepare for the game plan of which the Blues brains-trust expect Queensland to send their way on Sunday night.
“Three days out from the game is the one session where you can get most of your work done,’’ NSW assistant coach Danny Buderus said.
“It allows us to play some scrimmage against opposition and to really break down what we’re trying to achieve.
“We’ll have a chat to Shane (Millard, the NSW Residents coach) about what we’d love to achieve out of the session and what we might expect from Queensland.
“We’ll definitely put some plays together to work against what they showed in attack and defence, of which we picked up from Queensland in game one.
“But we’ll also remember too, that they’re (Residents) also preparing for a game.
“It’s also a great experience for those younger guys and a great idea to ensure that they know this is a pathway for them to hopefully one day represent the senior side of NSW.’’