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From the SMH:
SOUTHS hooker Issac Luke has paid new signing Greg Inglis the ultimate compliment, saying the centre's influence at the Rabbitohs will rival that of Wayne Bennett at St George Illawarra.
Inglis started full-time training this week and is considered likely to be fit for the Rabbitohs in their round-one clash with grand finalists Sydney Roosters tomorrow week. Many Rabbitohs greats have trumpeted the signing, but that an active player, and a key one at that, considers the value of the arrival so highly can only be a positive sign for the club. Bennett's reputation as a coach is second to none after leading St George Illawarra to a long-awaited premiership last year, and several clubs are clambering over each other to sign him for next year and beyond. If Inglis's influence on the Rabbitohs squad can rival that of Bennett, as Luke believes, Souths might too be on their way to breaking their own title drought.
''Not many teams have the presence of a superstar like that,'' Luke said yesterday. ''Every team has a superstar, but he's above that. It's like Wayne Bennett at the Dragons. He brings that confidence and focus. You don't want to mess around.''
The trick for the Rabbitohs will be to avoid thinking that having Inglis on the team-sheet will cure all ills. But coach John Lang said he was confident there would be no complacency - and there might be a silver lining to Inglis having only begun to stretch out at training in recent days in the wake of shoulder and hip surgeries.
''I don't think they will be [complacent],'' Lang said. ''Everybody knows they've got to do their job, and in some ways it might be good, the fact that we've had to prepare a lot without him. You use 17 players every week - one player just can't make that much difference.
''But when you've got one of the great players in the game in your team, and clearly the best person in his position, it's got to be good for you and it's got to give you confidence.''
Lang said he was confident Inglis would play against the Roosters, and believes only Michael Crocker and Jason Clark were more likely than not to miss the clash. That also means Sam Burgess (shoulder) and Luke (shoulder and knee) should play.
While Lang did not expect Inglis to be at his best immediately, he was happy with the player's fitness, despite the suggestions made during his contract wrangling that he was overweight.
''He hadn't played and couldn't train for a long while because he had the shoulder op, and then the hip operation,'' he said. ''He obviously wasn't going to be in great nick.
''But he's come to hand pretty well. I didn't realise how big a man he was, to be perfectly honest. He's a really big man. I'm not sure what his ideal weight is, but that works itself out over the season. He's not in peak fitness but he's not in bad nick, either.''
Luke said he was in no doubt for round one despite not having played a trial, saying he would have been fit for the Charity Shield had it been played, as first planned, last weekend.
The Kiwi international is off-contract with the Rabbitohs at the end of the season and his negotiations with the club have been held up while he has his own contract wrangle with his agents, Chris and Gavin Orr. The 23-year-old said he would consider offers from other clubs but wanted to show the Rabbitohs some loyalty.
''They made me who I am,'' he said of Souths. ''I'm not a big fan of roaming around other clubs. But at the end of the day, I've got kids. I want to make sure they're healthy, fed, wear clothes and live under a roof.''
Maybe he is still concussed!!
How funny to compare GI's arrival at redfern to Benny's influence at Illawarra.
Besides being funny, I hope they keep talking themselves up because it only makes the pressure greater when they start to lose.
I think the only things Greg Inglis and Wayne Bennett have in common is they both don't talk much and they both reneg on handshake deals
Further more, I know players trot out the old "i gotta do whats best for my family" line whenever there is a remote possibility that they might have to look at signing with other clubs, but Luke's taken it to new heights....needing to ensure the kids are "healthy, fed, wear clothes and live under a roof". Rusty must not be paying very much if Luke has to decide which contract to sign based on meeting these criteria.
SOUTHS hooker Issac Luke has paid new signing Greg Inglis the ultimate compliment, saying the centre's influence at the Rabbitohs will rival that of Wayne Bennett at St George Illawarra.
Inglis started full-time training this week and is considered likely to be fit for the Rabbitohs in their round-one clash with grand finalists Sydney Roosters tomorrow week. Many Rabbitohs greats have trumpeted the signing, but that an active player, and a key one at that, considers the value of the arrival so highly can only be a positive sign for the club. Bennett's reputation as a coach is second to none after leading St George Illawarra to a long-awaited premiership last year, and several clubs are clambering over each other to sign him for next year and beyond. If Inglis's influence on the Rabbitohs squad can rival that of Bennett, as Luke believes, Souths might too be on their way to breaking their own title drought.
''Not many teams have the presence of a superstar like that,'' Luke said yesterday. ''Every team has a superstar, but he's above that. It's like Wayne Bennett at the Dragons. He brings that confidence and focus. You don't want to mess around.''
The trick for the Rabbitohs will be to avoid thinking that having Inglis on the team-sheet will cure all ills. But coach John Lang said he was confident there would be no complacency - and there might be a silver lining to Inglis having only begun to stretch out at training in recent days in the wake of shoulder and hip surgeries.
''I don't think they will be [complacent],'' Lang said. ''Everybody knows they've got to do their job, and in some ways it might be good, the fact that we've had to prepare a lot without him. You use 17 players every week - one player just can't make that much difference.
''But when you've got one of the great players in the game in your team, and clearly the best person in his position, it's got to be good for you and it's got to give you confidence.''
Lang said he was confident Inglis would play against the Roosters, and believes only Michael Crocker and Jason Clark were more likely than not to miss the clash. That also means Sam Burgess (shoulder) and Luke (shoulder and knee) should play.
While Lang did not expect Inglis to be at his best immediately, he was happy with the player's fitness, despite the suggestions made during his contract wrangling that he was overweight.
''He hadn't played and couldn't train for a long while because he had the shoulder op, and then the hip operation,'' he said. ''He obviously wasn't going to be in great nick.
''But he's come to hand pretty well. I didn't realise how big a man he was, to be perfectly honest. He's a really big man. I'm not sure what his ideal weight is, but that works itself out over the season. He's not in peak fitness but he's not in bad nick, either.''
Luke said he was in no doubt for round one despite not having played a trial, saying he would have been fit for the Charity Shield had it been played, as first planned, last weekend.
The Kiwi international is off-contract with the Rabbitohs at the end of the season and his negotiations with the club have been held up while he has his own contract wrangle with his agents, Chris and Gavin Orr. The 23-year-old said he would consider offers from other clubs but wanted to show the Rabbitohs some loyalty.
''They made me who I am,'' he said of Souths. ''I'm not a big fan of roaming around other clubs. But at the end of the day, I've got kids. I want to make sure they're healthy, fed, wear clothes and live under a roof.''
Maybe he is still concussed!!
How funny to compare GI's arrival at redfern to Benny's influence at Illawarra.
Besides being funny, I hope they keep talking themselves up because it only makes the pressure greater when they start to lose.
I think the only things Greg Inglis and Wayne Bennett have in common is they both don't talk much and they both reneg on handshake deals
Further more, I know players trot out the old "i gotta do whats best for my family" line whenever there is a remote possibility that they might have to look at signing with other clubs, but Luke's taken it to new heights....needing to ensure the kids are "healthy, fed, wear clothes and live under a roof". Rusty must not be paying very much if Luke has to decide which contract to sign based on meeting these criteria.
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