NOT TRYING TO BE CAM
ANDREW McCullough says he won’t be crushed by the burden of replacing Cameron Smith, as Maroons coach Kevin Walters backed his hooking debutant to fire in Origin I tonight.
McCullough will face one of the most daunting interstate baptisms tonight when he is asked to fill the void of champion skipper Smith, the 42- game legend who is the mostcapped player in Origin’s 38- year history.
Smith is revered as Queensland’s Mr Irreplaceable, but statistics show Broncos hooker McCullough possesses the workrate to stabilise the Maroons’ ruck in his Origin blooding at the MCG.
Since his first full season in the NRL in 2009, McCullough has made a whopping 8601 tackles from 222 games – 141 more than Smith ( 8460 from 225) over the same nine- year period.
Succeeding Smith is the NRL’s version of batting after Bradman, but McCullough yesterday declared he would not be overawed by the pressures of upholding Queensland’s No. 9 legacy tonight in the MCG opener.
“It’s not tough replacing Cam, it’s exciting actually,” McCullough said.
“Cam is a great player and to be honest, I’m not him and I never will be. But I’m not here to replace him in my eyes. I will play my game and play my way.
“It was remarkable what he did and it will be impossible really to replicate what Cam Smith achieved for Queensland.
“There’s no pressure, because I will provide what I can.
“I’m certainly not going to sit back out there. I have waited a long time for the chance to play State of Origin, so I want to make a difference and I will do whatever I can to help us win this game.”
It is a testament to McCullough’s work ethic, team- first attitude and mental fortitude that he has averaged more than 30 tackles per game for nine consecutive seasons.
Last year, he averaged a staggering 45 tackles per game. This season, he has amassed 444 tackles from 11 games at a mark of 40.36.
While NSW are banking on fellow rookie rake Damien Cook to torch the Maroons with his speed, McCullough backed himself to be Queensland’s defensive backbone and emulate Smith by playing a full game if required.
“I hope to play the full 80 minutes,” the 28- year- old said.
“I know how to manage games now as a more mature player and having spells when I need them.
“That comes back to playing the amount of games I have. I’ll do whatever Kev ( coach Walters) requires but I can play the full 80 if necessary.”
Such is the emotion surrounding McCullough’s debut, his father Graeme – an accomplished artist – has painted a portrait as a tribute to his son’s journey from Dalby Devils junior to Origin star.
Walters says the Maroons need to move on mentally from the Smith era and believes McCullough is the perfect replacement.
“Andrew will do the job,” he said. “He has played in a grand final, he has big- match experience and I just want him to do what he does every week at the Broncos.
“I just want him to be clever out of dummy- half and hold the rucks tight for us.”
IT’S NOT TOUGH REPLACING CAM, IT’S EXCITING ACTUALLY MAROONS HOOKER ANDREW MCCULLOUGH