Praise for tough Peats ahead of Titans trip
SYDNEY Roosters coach Trent Robinson has paid tribute to Nathan Peats for helping bring out the State of Origin best in Mitchell Pearce.
Robinson said Peats’ influence on the result in the Blues’ 28-4 Origin I win over Queensland was telling.
Playing his first game for NSW, the Gold Coast No.9 provided a precise and slick dummy-half service that got the Blues’ attack moving.
“Between Nathan Peats playing at hooker the way he did, and the way Mitchell and (five-eighth) Jimmy (Maloney) were allowed to run the play and play a really flat, aggressive style of running was good,” he said.
Peats won’t play for the Titans against the Cowboys tonight after sustaining a severe cork on Wednesday night.
William Zillman is likely to come on to the Titans bench and could spend time at fullback if Tyrone Roberts rotates into dummy-half.
Coach Neil Henry said the Titans would miss Peats, who will be replaced at hooker by Karl Lawton.
“He does a lot of work in the middle, was tremendous in Origin and we’re going to miss that component but Lawto will be up for the challenge,” Henry said.
Cowboys giant Coen Hess will make an Origin audition tonight and the second-rower has vowed to again attack the Titans’ left edge after scoring two tries in his team’s Round 4 win at Cbus Super Stadium.
“I think Kane Elgey’s going to get a workout down there and it’ll be up to that left edge to do their job,” Henry said.
“It’ll be a tough night there but we just need to solve what they’ll throw at us.”