Former Souths coach John Lang says Chris Sandow can be as good as Johnathan Thurston if he puts the work in

CHRIS Sandow is in the same class as Johnathan Thurston when it comes to instinct and speed. And he is superior to Cooper Cronk when it comes to skill.

Chris Sandow

CHRIS Sandow is in the same class as Johnathan Thurston when it comes to instinct and speed. And he is superior to Cooper Cronk when it comes to skill.

"But if Chris Sandow wants to be an elite player, his elite talent needs to be matched with elite dedication," said John Lang, the man who watched the rise and rise of Sandow at South Sydney in 2010 and last year.

As Sandow tries to win over Parramatta fans tonight when the Eels host Cronulla - and justify his $550,000-a-year price tag - former coach Lang has no doubts the halfback will enjoy the same success out west that he did at Redfern.

But Lang said it was always going to be tough for Sandow to adjust to being the No.1 playmaker after sharing the responsibility with John Sutton at Souths.

"It would be ludicrous for somebody to sit back and not be closely involved and say, 'this is what you have to do with Sandow'," Lang said.

"Chris Sandow has elite talent for the game, and if he wants to be an elite player, that elite talent needs to be matched with elite dedication.

"That's the key. The coach can have input, but in the end it needs to come from the player."To go to Parra as their big buy and No.1 playmaker, it's a bit like going from assistant coach to head coach. There's a big difference being 'the man'.

"I have no doubt if Chrissy dedicates himself, he'll come through it. On sheer talent he's up there with the best of them.

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"He's got the same skills, speed and instinct as Johnathan Thurston. I think he's a more talented player than Cooper Cronk, and Cooper Cronk is your classic example of how through sheer hard work and dedication you can get to the elite standard. If Chrissy did that he'd never look back."Sandow admits it has taken longer than he thought to put his stamp on the Eels.

He was reluctant to produce his off-the-cuff style when he arrived at Parramatta for fear of making errors and upsetting his new teammates.

But he has slowly gone back to running the ball, and hopes to quickly fire with halves partner Ben Roberts tonight.

"I wasn't nervous. It was just weird when I first came here," Sandow said.

"I had a good trot last year, and I was expecting big things from myself when I came here.

"It's frustrating (when it takes time) to gel, and I can't wait for that time to come.

"There were good signs against the Dragons and hopefully we can build on that."

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