Tristan Sailor to make NRL debut for Dragons in tough test against the Roosters
Tristan Sailor, the son of dual-international Wendell, will make his NRL debut tonight (Saturday) against the Roosters after the Dragons were forced to rest one of their superstar halves.
Tristan Sailor, the 21-year old son of dual-international Wendell Sailor, will make his NRL debut against the Sydney Roosters tonight (Saturday).
The cherished moment that both a proud Sailor family and passionate Dragons supporter-base have been waiting so long for has arrived.
Originally named as coach Paul McGregor’s 18th man for the Kogarah clash, Sailor will be drafted into the Dragons starting line-up at fullback.
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The reshuffle has been caused by the omission of halfback Ben Hunt, who has been ruled of the match with after-effects from last weekend’s concussion.
Corey Norman will shift from fullback to the halves for Hunt.
Sailor has shown he’s worthy of an NRL call-up following an outstanding progression through the Dragons junior representative ranks, including selection twice for the Queensland Origin under-20s.
Plying his trade in NSW Cup this season, Sailor has scored eight tries in reserve grade for the Red V while he has also produced seven linebreaks and six try assists.
While Wendell’s strengths was his power game, the younger Sailor boasts a silky skill-set which has enabled him to play in the halves, at centre and at fullback during his development.
Physically, the father and son are also different.
Where ‘Big Dell” stood at 191cm and weighed 105kg for the majority of his 222 NRL appearances, Sailor stands at 177cm and weighs 80kg.
McGregor had hinted last week that he was eager to promote Sailor to the NRL before the end of this season.
“With Tristan, he’s been that 18th man for the last three or four weeks and jumped a few players that have been in that position and have played first grade,” he said.
“He needs to hold that form in reserve grade, he’s certainly a guy that I feel has a bright future because of the way he approaches training each day.
“We’re hoping to get some footy into Tristan before the end of the year if the position opens up.’’
In an interview with the Dragons last year, Sailor spoke of how he handled the pressure of living up to such a famous surname.
“There is pressure that comes with it, but rather than crumbling under it I like to thrive on it and [use it to] motivate me to forge my own path and become the best player I can be,” Sailor said.
“For me, it is just about training and working hard and getting there on your own.
“Once you get to this stage you have to then take the opportunity and show them what you can do and then I think all that pressure will go away.
“I am more a skilled player, rather than a power player like [Wendell].
“When I was young he taught me the skills but I have gone off on my own, and playing halves and fullback is a bit different to what he was doing.”
Sailor has trained at fullback with the NRL squad this week with the Dragons managing to keep his shock selection away from the media until today.