FNQ STARS LEAD PNG
THE inspirational return of Atherton junior Rod Griffin looks set to help the Kumuls find the extra gear they need to banish their Rugby League World Cup quarterfinal demons.
The 30-year-old was brought in late on Sunday for an early return from a medial ligament injury, which officials originally thought would keep him out of the group stages.
Griffin may still be in need of match fitness but Kumuls trainer David Westley said just having his guidance earlier than expected would be crucial to the side having any chance of toppling England in Melbourne on Sunday.
“We weren’t expecting him to come back early but all that hard work with the physio and on the training paddock really paid off,” he said.
“The main thing is the positive talk and encouragement. When times are hard, you can hear him from the sidelines and he’s a great communicator and a really good player.”
The Kumuls have never progressed past the final eight of the World Cup, but 2017 presents as their best chance on the back of increasing professionalism and discipline, a by-product of the PNG Hunters’ success in the Intrust Super Cup.
Griffin is one of only two surviving players from the nation’s last meeting with England in Townsville in 2008, scoring to a try to help the Kumuls to a 16-12 halftime lead before going down 32-22.
But defence has been one of the key focuses of the coaching staff for this tournament, which Westley said should serve the side well, even with supercoach Wayne Bennett picking apart the side.
“Wayne would have been looking at our weak points already in the past few games, so it’s just about us doing all those technical things right,” he said.
“We had our sponsors’ night last night and David Mead got up and spoke and the coach and the talk is 100 per cent positive we can win that game.”
Speaking after the Kumuls’ 64-0 win over USA, Griffin said it was a relief to get through the game unscathed and a bonus to score a try.
“I didn’t really expect to go out there and score a try or anything, I just wanted to get through the game with the injury and that and I was happy,” he said. “We said we wanted to use the game to get our structures right defensively and offensively and we did everything that was required, so we’re pretty happy with it.”
The Kumuls flew to Melbourne yesterday to spend the week acclimatising to the comparably chilly conditions ahead of Sunday’s encounter.
Westley had ended his tenure with the men’s side to take the reins as assistant coach of the PNG Orchids for the Women’s World Cup, starting on Thursday.
I DIDN’T REALLY EXPECT TO GO OUT THERE AND SCORE A TRY ... I JUST WANTED TO GET THROUGH THE GAME ROD GRIFFIN