STATE OF AGONY
... and Jarrod wouldn’t have it any other way
JARROD Wallace says he will be upset with himself on Thursday morning if he is not groaning from the bumps and bruises of Origin collisions.
Wallace, 26, and Dylan Napa will have stepped into their second series as starting props for the Maroons the previous evening at the MCG.
“In a weird, creepy sense, I do love running into people,’’ Wallace said.
“I wake up feeling sore the next day and I’m loving it.
“If I do wake up the next morning and don’t feel sore I’ll be very upset because I won’t have done my job for Queensland.’’
Like Maroons greats such as Shane Webcke and Gorden Tallis, Wallace takes satisfaction from seeking out the big collisions from rival forwards when running the ball. Wallace was a fan of Webcke’s playing style, marvelling at how NSW defenders bounced off the Queensland prop in one Origin kick-off return lodged in his memory.
“I love running off a kick-off or a dropout, running at that 13-man wall which we throw ourselves into,’’ said Wallace, who has played two Origin matches.
“I wouldn’t change it. I said to Naps (Napa) last year I wanted that first hit up. Being a frontrower, you want it.”
Napa’s defensive style has been critiqued thoroughly since his headfirst tackle on Bronco Korbin Sims last year, but Wallace says he loves having the Rooster as a packmate.
“He’s the most loyal, hardworking teammate you could have,” Wallace said.
SOUTHPORT have survived a mighty scare to keep their momentum rolling.
The Tigers yesterday made it four wins from five starts but they did it the hard way, only just defying an upbeat Ormeau outfit in a 28-26 Rugby League Gold Coast thriller at Brien Harris Oval.
Southport coach Mark Ross was relieved post-game.
“It wasn’t convincing … we were just glad to get out of there with the two points,” said Ross, who spent the weekend juggling his Tigers post with Queensland Rangers selecting duties.
“We tend to sometimes fall into playing at the level that we were playing – that’s not to take away from Ormeau. They were very spirited with a big home crowd.
“They aren’t far off a win and I’m just glad it wasn’t against us. That could have derailed everything if that had have happened.”
Jacob Pottinger and Jordan Birch were among the visitors’ best, as was debutant half Zane Harris.
“He is an 18-year-old with a big future. He got an opportunity to push the big boys around and he was good,” Ross said.
After a dismal season last year, the 2014 premiers appear to have returned to contender status and now have a shot at setting the record straight against Currumbin.
The Eagles stole victory in the Round 1 clash between the sides and have gone on to remain undefeated through the first seven rounds.
“We have beaten the premiers and we have beaten the runners-up and we have beaten the semi-finalists in Bilambil and we should have beaten (2018 leaders)
Ross said.
“We’re not flying under the radar anymore unfortunately but for us to be genuine grand final aspirants, a great team like Currumbin we will have to put on a good show, that’s for sure.”
Aloesi Qio scored a hattrick for Ormeau, who came so close to ending their win drought that dates back to 2016.
Elsewhere, Tugun edged Burleigh 22-16, Currumbin defeated Bilambil 32-12 and Tweed Heads got the better of Runaway Bay 22-6. Currumbin,”