Fast track to glory

Wing duel could hold key to Origin success

DANE Gagai concedes Josh Addo-Carr’s scorching speed could burn the Maroons as he braces for a wing duel with the NSW rookie who is almost fast enough to be an Olympic sprinter.

Gagai is one of the NRL’s quickest players but the Maroons winger admits he is not in the same league as NSW’s speed-machine debutants Addo-Carr and centre James Roberts.

As a 16-year-old, Addo-Carr says he was clocked at 10.60sec over 100 metres. The 100m qualifying mark for the Rio Olympics in 2016 was 10.16 sec, a time Addo-Carr, now older and more muscular, could have threatened if he continued his career in athletics.

Instead, the 22-year-old’s raw speed is terrorising rivals in the NRL, with Addo-Carr’s 41 tries from 48 games sealing his Origin debut against Queensland at the MCG on Wednesday.

Fellow Blues rookie Roberts is widely considered to be the fastest player in the NRL but Gagai, who will mark AddoCarr in Origin One, believes the Storm ace could beat “The Jet” over 100m.

“He (Addo-Carr) has electric speed,” Gagai said.

“He and James Roberts are the two quickest I’ve seen.

“I’ve played with Jimmy Roberts in the Indigenous All Stars and he would have AddoCarr covered over the first 40 (metres), but Addo’s Carr’s top-end speed is ridiculous.

“I have to make sure I do my job on the wing against him. We’ve all seen what he can do. It’s going to be a huge challenge to stop him, so I have to make sure I’m 100 per cent ready to go.”

Addo-Carr believes he could have smashed his PB of 10.60 sec – and potentially run for Australia – if he learned the finer points of sprinting.

“I always made state carnivals but I didn’t really know how to use the blocks, so other sprinters had an advantage over me,” he said.

“When I was 16, I was at Matraville Sports (High School, in Sydney). I ran in the state titles and did 10.60, that was the quickest I ever ran.

HE (ADDO-CARR) HAS ELECTRIC SPEED. HE AND JAMES ROBERTS ARE THE TWO QUICKEST I’VE SEEN DANE GAGAI

“I don’t know if I’m faster than James (Roberts). He is quick and explosive and a really great player.

“I loved doing athletics, but my passion was always rugby league.”

Aside from marking AddoCarr, Gagai is ready for another responsibility – kicking goals for the Maroons.

Gagai and wing cohort Valentine Holmes had a shootout at training on Tuesday night. While Gagai has a lowly 43 per cent success rate in the NRL, he says he wouldn’t let the Maroons down in Origin One.

“The goalkicking is going all right,” he said.

“Val actually went all right but we’ll have a kick off later in the week and see how we go.”