Billy Slater, Steve Renouf help shape Dane Gagai’s Origin career

DANE Gagai had a FOG in his corner lobbying his selection in Game One and a modern-day Maroons great sharpening his game to make an immense Origin impact.

Dane Gagai during a Maroons training session.

DANE Gagai had a FOG in his corner lobbying his selection for Queensland in Game One and a modern-day Maroons great sharpening his game to make an immense Origin impact.

Gagai paid credit to Former Origin Great Steve Renouf for urging Kevin Walters to select the Knights outside back from of the wreckage of his club Newcastle’s season.

Once in camp, Gagai said Maroons coaching consultant Billy Slater, one of Queensland’s greatest outside backs, had set him straight on some aspects of playing on the wing in Origin games.

A week before the selection of Queensland’s Game One side, Renouf urged his old Broncos and Maroons teammate Walters to stick loyally with winger Gagai in his Game One selection because the struggling Knight needed the support in his life.

Renouf told The Courier-Mail he had sent a text to Walters because he feared Gagai would be dropped in one of the former Bronco’s most difficult times of his life.

Walters said this week he thought Gagai had been one of Queensland’s three best players in their June 1 win over NSW despite a lead-in to the series in which his grandmother died, he was racially insulted by a spectator at a game in Newcastle in a season in which the Knights are headed for a second straight wooden spoon.

“Steve was one of the centres I looked up to, so it’s definitely humbling _ it’s the first I heard of it (him contacting Walters),’’ Gagai said.

Dane Gagai in action against the Cowboys.

“I’ve met Steve a couple of times, including at the indigenous All Stars game.

“I definitely had more confidence going into my second game than my debut (in Game Three last year), but I don’t’ take anything for granted. I’ve only played two.

“I did a lot of work with Billy through the week after training working on those big high kicks. and Billy had a big impact on me. He’s a great coach in technique for bombs

“I go into every game to play my role for the team and get as many carries as I can and give the forwards a rest.’’

Walters warned publicly that NSW will come Gagai’s way again in Game Two despite the winger’s success under the high ball in Sydney.

Gagai ran for a game-high 169m in Game One from 21 carries after managing 97m from 13 runs in his debut last year, scoring a try in each match.

“Dane will be ready for it again and he’ll need to be _ there’s no doubt they will test him again,’’ Walters said.

“He runs the ball well and catches the ball well _ he’s a backyard footy player, the ones you like.’’

Dane Gagai does a fitness test during a Maroons training session. Pic Peter Wallis

Slater said he had worked with Gagai and also new cap Corey Oates, on the left wing, on technical matters and also ran through with them the different attacking kicks likely to come from the three Blues kickers.

“I was trying to see where we can improve their game and give them an understanding as best I could of what they are going to be faced with,’’ Slater said.

“Dane is a great kid and he’s played two exceptionally good Origin matches and is very comfortable. My main contribution has been that we went through a lot of the kickers in the NSW side and what their favoured kicks are, working on our positional play and some technical things.’’

Renouf said he was pleased to see Gagai played so well for the Maroons.

“The best thing for Dane was to keep him in that team. I thought because of everything that was happening for him, they were going to leave him out,’’ Renouf said.

Originally published as Billy Slater, Steve Renouf help shape Dane Gagai’s Origin career