‘Smart’ Egan gets half a chance to impress
Wayde Egan might be starting his first NRL game in the halves against the Rabbitohs today, but the Warriors coaches are confident he’ll do a good job.
It was a big call from Stacey Jones to go with Egan as his five-eighth at Sunshine Coast Stadium, rather than specialist halves, Daejarn Asi or Ronald Volkman.
But given how critical it is to have experienced players in the No 6 and No 7 jerseys, it’s understandable to go with Egan, especially because he played so well during his stint there against the Storm last weekend and after a week of training in that position, he should be even better this weekend.
‘‘Wayde has loved his time in the halves,’’ Warriors assistant coach Slade Griffin said.
‘‘He’s not going to try to overplay his hand, he’s going to try to do the role Stacey gives to him.
‘‘But he’s a smart player, he’s got good footy IQ, he loves the game and is a student of it, so we’re pretty comfortable he’s going to do a good job.’’
One of the benefits of playing Egan in the halves is it gives Freddy Lussick another opportunity to start at hooker.
The 21-year-old, who joined the Warriors from the Roosters midway through this year, has shown positive signs during his six games for the club and looks to have a bright future.
‘‘Freddy has got a simple role, he’s got to move fast defensively, make his tackles and stay within the system,’’ Griffin said.
‘‘He’s come from a good club, so he’s got good habits. I’m really excited for him, he’s played quite strong for us and his defence was good last week.
‘‘This is a good opportunity for him to play well and get a few games at the back end of the year, which will lead him into a strong pre-season.’’
The Warriors are outsiders to win today, even though they have been playing better recently.
But they’ll be up against a Rabbitohs side with everything to play for and desperate for the two points to stay in the top eight.
‘‘They had a really good game last week, golden point against the Sharks, it looked like a finals game, with the Sharks sitting in the top three,’’ Griffin said.
‘‘The Rabbitohs are a classy side. They’ve got big, strong forwards and an elite spine with Cody Walker, Latrell Mitchell, Damien Cook and Lachlan Ilias.
‘‘They play a good brand of footy, so it’s going to be a hard game. ‘‘We know what’s coming, but we’re excited to have our last game in Queensland.’’
The 31-year-old Griffin joined the Warriors in 2019, having been forced to retire from the game a year earlier because of a knee injury.
Born in Australia, but growing up in Greymouth, the one-test Kiwi is one of the few New Zealanders coming up through the coaching ranks in the NRL.
He blew away Warriors CEO Cameron George when he asked him for a meeting a few years ago and he’s relishing his time at the club, where he works the development of the younger players and also helps out Stacey Jones and Justin Morgan with the NRL team.
‘‘I’m really committed to the Warriors,’’ he said. ‘‘I grew up down south in a small town. I don’t think I’d seen an NRL team until I was 17.
‘‘I’m a big fan of rugby league and I had the game taken away from me. ‘‘When you have something taken away, you grab onto your second chance, so I’m really loving still being in the game.
‘‘Although my career got cut short, I enjoy working in the space I’m in at the moment, helping these young boys go from young men to adults and watch them try to achieve their own dreams of being NRL players.’’