Jharal Yow Yeh’s mentorship keeps Pat Carrigan on track at uni
There are days when Patrick Carrigan just doesn’t want to go to uni, but the rising Broncos star says an ex-Broncos’ mentorship keeps him focused through the tough days.
NRL
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WANTAWAY Rooster star Latrell Mitchell would have to improve his fitness if he is to make a $1 million move to fullback.
That’s the view of Johnathan Thurston as the North Queensland Cowboys weigh up making a play for the disgruntled Rooster.
Mitchell met with Cowboys officials in Townsville on Monday night as he searches for his next club.
The Cowboys appear an unlikely destination as they await the arrival of Valentine Holmes from the NFL.
But North Queensland hasn’t completely ruled out making a play for Mitchell.
Mitchell, 22, is keen to test himself at fullback, but Thurston said the Kangaroos centre would have to get fitter.
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“From what I’ve been hearing he wants to play fullback,” Thurston said.
“He could definitely do that. He played all his juniors there, but he would have to get fitter. You have to be the fittest in the club in that area.
“There’s no doubt he could do that.”
While Holmes is prepared to return to the NRL for around $850,000 next season, Mitchell wants $1 million to join the Cowboys, but Thurston said he was worth it.
“Definitely, they’re the players that win you games,” he said.
“There is only a handful of players in the NRL that are getting paid that who genuinely deserve to be earning that type of money.
“He could definitely be up there.”
Thurston said he didn’t get invited to have dinner with Mitchell when was in town, instead spending the night with his family.
THURSTO THE ACE
QUEENSLAND league legend Thurstonhas become a golf addict.
Thurston has slashed his handicap to 13 since retiring at the end of the 2018 NRL season and is determined to get even lower.
The Cowboys legend is a regular player on courses around Townsville.
Thurston has become such a fan of golf he is attending next month’s Presidents Cup in Melbourne.
Thurston, 36, battled with shoulder injuries throughout his career but they haven’t stopped him on the golf course.
If his determination on the rugby league translates to the golf course then you can count on him becoming a gun golfer.
Thurston has spent the past few days in Brisbane, appearing at the launch of the You Can youth cancer centre at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital and also attending his academy.
TAYLOR FACES SETBACK
TITANS halfback Ash Taylor has had a minor setback in his pre-season preparations.
Taylor has been managing a hip problem which has restricted his training.
He was spotted last week running with the Titans players on modified training programs.
The Titans told Blindside Taylor’s issue isn’t serious and he was back in full training this week.
It is a pivotal pre-season for Taylor, who had a forgettable 2019 where his form plummeted and he ended up taking time away from the game.
BURT PUNTED FROM BOX
JUSTIN Holbrook’s overhaul at the Gold Coast Titans has seen Parramatta legend Luke Burt bumped to an off-field role.
Burt was brought to the Titans by former coach Garth Brennan, and spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach.
He had one year to run on his contract when Brennan was sacked and wasn’t part of Holbrook’s plans.
Holbrook has instead signed former Bulldogs coach Jim Dymock and Intrust Super Cup premiership-winner Jim Lenihan as his assistants for 2020.
Instead of sacking Burt and paying him out, the Titans have shifted him to an administration role.
CAM’S NOT MOVING
MELBOURNE Storm captain Cameron Smith has rubbished reports he is set to make a shock positional switch next year.
A Sydney newspaper reported coach Craig Bellamy was considering switching Smith to halfback in 2020 for the final season of his NRL career.
The move would have been one of the game’s greatest ever switches, similar to Broncos legend Darren Lockyer’s transition from fullback to five-eighth.
While Bellamy admitted Smith could find himself at first receiver at times next year, he had no plans to make a full-time switch.
And Smith broke his silence to confirm he would play on next year in his preferred position of hooker.
“Feeling refreshed and excited about season 2020,” Smith posted on Twitter.
“Contrary to reports...... switching to halfback won’t be happening. #sillyseason.”
PAT’S INSPIRATION
BRONCOS youngster Patrick Carrigan doesn’t have to look far to find motivation when he is sick of studying.
Carrigan is a physiotherapy student and one of the Broncos’ rising leaders.
He played 19 games in his debut NRL season this year while juggling university studies and spent his entire off-season break with his head in the books.
At times it can become tiresome, but Carrigan said former Broncos winger Jharal Yow Yeh gave him a reason to push on.
Yow Yeh was one of the NRL’s rising stars before his career was cut short by a sickening ankle injury in 2012 at the age of 22.
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Yow Yeh now works for the Broncos in an off-field role.
“I like to lean on Jharal a bit – he’s always into me to keep studying,” Carrigan said.
“He was at the peak of his game and his career changed like that.
“There are days I don’t want to go to uni so much, but it’s a reminder for me to keep ticking something off if anything was to happen.”
Carrigan is a super impressive 21-year-old and has been touted as a future skipper.
TEST FOR MUNSTER
MAROONS five-eighth Cameron Munster went back to his cricket roots at the Gabba on Thursday.
Munster was a keen observer at the opening day of the Gabba Test match between Australia and Pakistan.
CHECK OUT OUT FAN PICS FROM THE GABBA HERE
The Melbourne Storm maestro was a gun cricketer as a kid in Rockhampton.
A handy left-arm quick, Munster played local A-grade cricket as a teenager and at one stage contemplated chasing a professional career.
He nearly slipped through the cracks as a league player before being spotted by Storm scouts, later going on to become a Test and Origin sensation.
Originally published as Jharal Yow Yeh’s mentorship keeps Pat Carrigan on track at uni