‘Screw loose’: Qld unveils new top dog
Tom Gilbert is too humble to put his name forward as the Queenslander who can step up as the new top dog in the forward pack, but teammate Reuben Cotter says he’s the perfect guy to get under the skin of his rivals in next week’s Origin opener.
With hard man Felise Kaufusi suspended and Josh Papalii retired, there’s a vacancy for a new Queensland attack dog.
Gilbert played it down when asked about it at the team’s camp in Sanctuary Cove, but Cotter has no doubt that the edge forward is the man to go after a Blues side stinging from last year’s decider where they were physically dominated.
The pair played together in North Queensland before Gilbert joined the Dolphins and Cotter said there’s a different side to Gilbert to the one who politely answers questions with a straight bat.
“I’ve seen it from him before. It could be him, it could be anyone,” Cotter said when asked if Gilbert was the man to frustrate the Blues.
“He’s got a screw loose, that’s for sure. He was at my club last year, and I just love the way he plays and what he brings to a team.
“That physical effort on effort style of footy is what I try to base my game off. I looked at him last year and tried to replicate his game.
“He was massive for our footy side, and I can’t wait to play footy with him again.
“I reckon he’s got a side to him that you guys haven’t seen.
“He’s a private school kid so he speaks very well, but he’s a rough kid. It’s his competitive nature.
That’s probably what makes him the way he is. I love that about him, and it only makes me want to be a better person and footy player. That competitive nature pushed everyone.”
While Gilbert downplayed the potential for fireworks in next week’s series opener in Adelaide, the 22year-old was keen to put his hand up for next year’s mooted NRL extravaganza in Las Vegas.
Reports are that the NRL has all but locked in the US as the venue to kick off the 2024 season, with the Rabbitohs, Sea Eagles and Broncos in the mix for a double-header.
But Gilbert wants the Dolphins to be part of the groundbreaking event, pointing to the success they’ve had on and off the field as the competition’s newest team and how that would help them generate interest in a foreign market.
“Wayne (Dolphins coach Wayne Bennett) is pretty keen on it as well,” he said. “You’ve got to play a game, but you go to Vegas and then you promote the game of footy. That’s just a benefit for future generations.”