Souths Cameron Murray has nothing but praise for Manly mate Jake Trbojevic
If you’ve been impressed by South Sydney’s Cameron Murray this season, then you’ve got Jake Trbojevic to thank. But the pair will put their Blues friendship aside for a bruising finals encounter this weekend.
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They were teammates, then roommates and now they are great mates — but it’s checkmate time for one of them.
South Sydney star Cameron Murray has credited Manly’s Jake Trbojevic as the player who taught him “professionalism” during their time together this year in NSW camp.
The pair roomed together throughout the series in Bondi, Sydney Olympic Park, Brisbane, Scarborough and Perth.
Yet friendship will be pushed away when Trbojevic’s Sea Eagles confront Murray’s Rabbitohs in a sudden-death final at ANZ Stadium.
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“I was so happy to grow as a footballer from the stuff I learned from Jake,’’ Murray said. “He is the ultimate professional.
“I learned a lot off him. His professionalism, his mindset, the way he approaches games and approaches training, he is very particular.
“Jake was a great person to spend a lot of time with, especially me, a younger player coming through the NRL and not having as much experience as he has.
“He’s not a perfectionist but his preparation is always very good. He’s always on time, he’s punctual, he always gives 100 per cent, no matter what.
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“He is a champion fella and a great footballer, too. It will be a pleasure to play against him on the weekend.
“We roomed together, so we spend a bit of time together. We became pretty close. There is nothing bad to say about Jake. He is a legend on and off the field.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better Origin series with him by my side.
“He has played a lot of seasons and played rep and finals footy. He was great for me. I was happy to room with him and happy to meet him.”
Asked if Trbojevic had any faults — untidiness maybe — Murray said: “No, he was pretty neat, too.”
This has been a breakout year for Murray.
He nailed down his spot in the Souths side, played all three games for NSW and appears ready to win Test selection. In fact, he is fast-becoming a star of rugby league.
“I don’t want to think too far into the future,” Murray said. “I’m just thinking about getting this team right and improving some areas — taking each training session one at a time, taking each week one at a time.
“It’s do-or-die footy, so now is when it counts most. I’m trying to keep quiet, keep a level head and focus on what I need to do personally, and then collectively as a team, to get better.
“These are the games you dream about and you want to test yourself and test your team as a group. They are moments you work for all year. It’s crunch time now.”
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Souths received a reality check last week when trailing the Sydney Roosters 26-0 at halftime in a qualifying final. However, Murray doesn’t feel there is a need to tinker dramatically with the Rabbitohs’ playing style.
“I don’t think we have to change much but we have to change what we did in that first half, it wasn’t acceptable,” Murray said. “It wasn’t our brand of footy, it wasn’t who we are.
“It is just a concentration and attitude thing that reflected our first half. We need to be better and we will be better because Manly are a great side
“Talking from a middles perspective, Manly have some really dominant forwards, quality forwards. Some with some skill, some with a lot of a aggression and some big boys there, too.
“Manly have some great versatility in the middle and some good leaders there in Trbojevic, and (Addin) Fonua-Blake has been really dominant.
“We will have to play as well as we have all year to beat them.”