Souths fullback Greg Inglis gives up social media as he struggles with form
SOUTHS fullback Greg Inglis knows what fans are thinking about his current form — so he’s given up social media in a bid to regain his brilliant best.
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GREG Inglis knows what you’re thinking.
Unfit, not in form and shouldn’t play fullback — Inglis has heard them all before and he’s sick of it.
It’s why the champion South Sydney fullback has banned himself from social media in a bid to focus on himself and recapturing his brilliant best.
“I don’t have social media anymore — what’s the point?” Inglis told The Daily Telegraph.
“You hear it (the criticism) nearly every week. Everyone has got a different opinion, but I just don’t listen to it.
“I know what I’m doing behind closed doors and so does my team.”
Inglis hasn’t used his personal Twitter and Instagram accounts in two weeks and plans to stick by the ban.
In brushing social media, the Maroons and Kangaroos star will follow in the footsteps of world sport’s biggest names.
NBA megastar LeBron James, for example, activates a social media blackout every postseason to channel his focus on championship glory.
For all the criticisms aimed at Inglis, the man himself admits he isn’t 100 per cent fit.
“I’m definitely in the 90s and some weeks I’m going in at only 90 per cent,” he conceded.
“If I’m less than that I just go to Madge (Michael Maguire) and tell him I won’t be playing.
“But I turn up every week and put my best foot forward and there are different ways I can monitor it and the club has been very good with that.
“It’s one of those things that is going to be ongoing.
“But we have people in place here that can look after that and different training options.”
Inglis will be named in Tuesday’s Kangaroos side to take on the Kiwis in Newcastle on May 6, but he is adamant it’s the last thing on his mind.
“I have to perform for Souths first,” he said frankly.
“The (Australian) side comes out today and whoever Mal puts in various positions he has done it for a reason.”
Rabbitohs halfback Adam Reynolds has no doubts Inglis will rise above the recent catcalls to showcase his champion qualities in the coming weeks.
“We love having Greg and we’re glad to have him, so we don’t read into the media much,” Reynolds said.
“It’s a team sport and you can’t single out any player.
“He gives his all every week and we are fully aware of what he can do.
“We are happy with what he is doing and we’ll stick with him.”
South Sydney may have been belted on the scoreboard by the Broncos last Friday night, but Inglis believes the Bunnies are on the right track.
“I think we found ourselves again — it’s just those crucial things in the game at crucial times that let us down,” he explained.
“We play for 30 minutes and then clock off for 10 minutes in both halves and that’s not acceptable.”
For the Rabbitohs the challenge of discovering consistency starts on Thursday night against the bruised and battered Wests Tigers.
The Tigers are still licking their wounds after being hammered 60-6 by the Raiders in Canberra, but Inglis remains wary.
“They are dangerous and they are a threat,” he said.
“The Tigers could turn around this Friday night and we know that, so we’ve just got to focus on what we can control and the way we play footy.
“I’ve seen teams get belted and come back next week and go on a winning streak and we don’t want that to happen.”
Originally published as Souths fullback Greg Inglis gives up social media as he struggles with form
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