Leprechauns hope to nab win for a grin
THE big question on grand final day is whether a premiership win will be enough for Leon Hallie to crack a smile.
Add that to his raging success as A-grade coach and he may well be the CDRL’s own Wayne Bennett.
“I’m a pretty boring bugger,” Hallie said.
“I don’t get excited about too much. In saying that I’m not being disrespectful towards the occasion, it’s just the way I go about my coaching.”
His relaxed demeanour could well be why his teams have performed so well over the years.
“It definitely rubs off on the players,” Hallie said.
“If they see I’m relaxed it makes them a bit more confident about their job. But they’ve also seen me on the other side when things aren’t going well. I don’t rear up too much.”
He accepted the pressure was on Leprechauns going into the grand final – it’s part of being No.1 – and there’s no point changing things now.
Hallie said tonight’s result would come down to the finer details and considering the elusiveness of Yarrabah’s backs, he said would be key.
“It’s the one-percenters, making that effort until we’ve got the ball back in our hands.”
Eddie Morrison-Sailor has kick-chase come out of his shell under Hallie and said his guidance suited his natural game.
“He lets everyone be themselves and you don’t have to shy away from anything.”
Morrison-Sailor said it was “credit to the boys” for giving him the space to be creative and halfback Patrick Gallen echoed his words.
The 19-year-old destroyed Mareeba in the major semifinal and felt if they played to their strengths to win, they might raise a smile.
“Maybe he’ll have a bit of a smirk,” he said.