Water-logged Blues say wet good prep for sunny Suncorp
NSW insist the state's big wet is providing good State of Origin preparation for a dry Suncorp Stadium, as they deal with a deluge ahead of their trip to Queensland.
The Blues' opposed session with a St Marys' Ron Massey Cup side featuring Michael Jennings on Thursday was played in driving rain, with close to 60mm falling in the preceding 24 hours.
The Blue Mountains Grammar School field held up relatively well in the circumstances, but water was splashing up with every step taken by players.
In contrast, the Maroons were training on the clear and warm Sunshine Coast, and with no rain predicted for Origin I at Suncorp Stadium next Wednesday night.
But Blues players maintained the watery conditions could play into their favour, while still attempting to play the way they will in drier conditions.
"It provided more of an emphasis on taking care of the football, which is a good thing to have focus on in any game," fullback Dylan Edwards said.
"Those sorts of conditions, yes they're challenging to stick tackles and hold the football.
"But you have to focus on doing that anyway going up to Suncorp next week, regardless of if it is a dry or wet track."
Payne Haas again sat out Thursday's session, but the Blues are confident he will overcome a quad injury to play in the series opener.
In the 15 minutes before media were kicked out, Mitch Moses warmed up with a left edge of Angus Crichton, Latrell Mitchell and Brian To'o.
Nathan Cleary was on his preferred right side, alongside Liam Martin, Stephen Crichton and Zac Lomax.
NSW called in Gerard Sutton to referee the session, while St Marys had Jennings playing right centre and Stephen Crichton's brother Christian playing right wing.
Former NSW halfback Craig Gower was an assistant coach for St Marys, giving the Blues a touch of Origin experience to work against.
"They gave us a look at the shapes we think Queensland are going to be throwing," second-rower Hudson Young said.
"It's pretty cool too because Jenko and Gower did a lot in the game. So for them to give up their time and help us prepare.
"We can't control the weather and there are people out there doing it tough in NSW at the moment. We're thinking of them in this period."
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The Advertiser
12 hours ago
- The Advertiser
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Their oldest forwards Felise Kaufusi, 33, and Mark Nicholls, 35, led the pack up front in Townsville on Saturday with gusto and grunt. Nikorima has been the unsung hero of the Dolphins' resurgence. Katoa, with the most try assists this season, has got all the wraps and rightly so, but his veteran partner has been a linchpin figure. Both were electric against the Cowboys, who have won just one of their past six games. The Cowboys suffered a major blow in the warm-up when star forward Jason Taumalolo withdrew with a concern over an injured calf that had kept him out of action since round nine. Bostock scored early before Kaufusi was binned for a high shot on Cowboys replacement half Tom Duffy, minutes after stand-in captain Scott Drinkwater was also hit high. Both Cowboys went off for HIAs. Down to 12 men, the Dolphins were far too classy for the Cowboys, with Nikorima and Katoa creating a second try for Bostock. 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The Advertiser
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- The Advertiser
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Carlton say there is no fracture in the foot and surgery isn't required, but a period of recovery is needed to allow the injury to settle. The Blues hope Walsh will return in either round 19 or 20. That means he will not only miss Sunday's clash with West Coast in Perth, but also games against North Melbourne, Port Adelaide, Collingwood and Brisbane, before a possible return against Melbourne in round 19. Carlton's season is already hanging in the balance at 5-7, and the loss of Walsh is a big blow to their hopes of clawing back into the top eight. Jaxon Binns has been called up into Carlton's 23 to take on West Coast. "It's more in the early stages which is why the timeline isn't as long as what it could've been," Carlton coach Michael Voss said of Walsh's injury on Saturday. "We're fortunate enough we caught it early, but all these things always come with inconvenient timing. "It's inconvenient for everyone, for him and for us. "He's a real pro. Once he knows what he's dealing with, he turns his mind into his rehab, how he can get better and how to get the most out of the situation. "He'll take his five or six weeks and hopefully we get him back better and stronger." Carlton have already lost Nic Newman (knee), No.3 draft pick Jagga Smith (knee) and Brodie Kemp (achilles) for the rest of the season, while star forward Harry McKay will miss his second consecutive match due to knee soreness. West Coast have made three changes from the team that lost to North Melbourne by 10 points last week. Tom McCarthy, the No.1 pick from the mid-season rookie draft, has been named for his AFL debut, while Clay Hall and Bailey Williams return to the side. Premiership defender Tom Cole will spend a stint on the sidelines with a hamstring injury, while Brady Hough (illness) and Archer Reid (omitted) are the other outs. Meanwhile, All-Australian West Coast backman Jeremy McGovern faces an anxious wait after fronting the AFL's concussion panel on Thursday night. McGovern hasn't played since being concussed in the round eight loss to Melbourne on May 3, and the concussion panel will decide whether he can continue his decorated 197-game career. A decision on McGovern's future is expected within the next week. Carlton's finals hopes have received a huge blow after star midfielder Sam Walsh was ruled out for between five to six weeks with an "inconvenient" foot injury. Walsh reported soreness in his foot at training on Friday and was sent off for scans, which revealed a hot spot. Carlton say there is no fracture in the foot and surgery isn't required, but a period of recovery is needed to allow the injury to settle. The Blues hope Walsh will return in either round 19 or 20. 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Carlton have already lost Nic Newman (knee), No.3 draft pick Jagga Smith (knee) and Brodie Kemp (achilles) for the rest of the season, while star forward Harry McKay will miss his second consecutive match due to knee soreness. West Coast have made three changes from the team that lost to North Melbourne by 10 points last week. Tom McCarthy, the No.1 pick from the mid-season rookie draft, has been named for his AFL debut, while Clay Hall and Bailey Williams return to the side. Premiership defender Tom Cole will spend a stint on the sidelines with a hamstring injury, while Brady Hough (illness) and Archer Reid (omitted) are the other outs. Meanwhile, All-Australian West Coast backman Jeremy McGovern faces an anxious wait after fronting the AFL's concussion panel on Thursday night. McGovern hasn't played since being concussed in the round eight loss to Melbourne on May 3, and the concussion panel will decide whether he can continue his decorated 197-game career. 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7NEWS
13 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Jack Bostock scores four tries as Dolphins run riot in demolition of Cowboys
The Dolphins have surged to sixth position on the NRL ladder, with four tries to winger Jack Bostock and another masterclass by halves Kodi Nikorima and Isaiya Katoa firing a 58-4 thrashing of North Queensland. Four-try hero Bostock, who will surely represent NSW in the future, ensured the Dolphins entered the stratosphere for attacking football and defensive resolve in sequence. The ruthless Dolphins became just the sixth side in premiership history to win three consecutive games by at least 36 points after a 56-6 win over St George Illawarra and 44-8 victory over Canterbury. Former Cowboys centre Brent Tate said on Fox League it was 'one of the worst' performances by the club he has seen, despite them missing four State of Origin stars. The Dolphins have won seven of their past 10 matches and are clearly the best-coached and performed side of all the Queensland teams. With their four best forwards out for the season, the response of the side from a 0-4 start to the campaign has been nothing short of extraordinary under coach Kristian Woolf. Their oldest forwards Felise Kaufusi, 33, and Mark Nicholls, 35, led the pack up front in Townsville on Saturday with gusto and grunt. Nikorima has been the unsung hero of the Dolphins' resurgence. Katoa, with the most try assists this season, has got all the raps and rightly so, but his veteran partner has been a linchpin figure. Both were electric against the Cowboys, who have won just one of their past six games. The Cowboys suffered a major blow in the warm-up when star forward Jason Taumalolo withdrew with a concern over an injured calf that had kept him out of action since round nine. Bostock scored early before Kaufusi was binned for a high shot on Cowboys replacement half Tom Duffy, minutes after stand-in captain Scott Drinkwater was also hit high. Both Cowboys went off for HIAs. Down to 12 men, the Dolphins were far too classy for the Cowboys, with Nikorima and Katoa creating a second try for Bostock. Katoa sliced through to put rampaging back-rower Oryn Keeley over under the sticks for a 16-0 lead. The Cowboys caught out the Dolphins on the short side with a slick move from Drinkwater to put winger Murray Taulagi over in the corner, but that was their only joy. Dolphins utility Kurt Donoghoe scored on the cusp of halftime for the Dolphins to lead 22-4 at the break. From there it was all the Dolphins, with Bostock, outstanding fill-in fullback Jake Averillo, devastating centre Herbie Farnworth, tough-as-teak Ray Stone and Nikorima all continuing the try-scoring extravaganza.
