KNOWING THE TITANS:
NRL STARS TALK HEROES, RIVALS AND BACKYARD BATTLES
SHANNON BOYD Your backyard hero
“I used to follow the Sharks as a kid and I used to follow Paul Gallen actually. I used to like him but when you play against him he’s a bit of a mongrel so that soon changed.”
The rival you dread facing
“That’s a hard one. You’ve got the likes of (Jason) Taumololo, who’s got good feet and it’s frustrating because you can try and whack him and he’s got late feet in the line. Another one who’s got good defence is Dylan Napa, he’s solid. If you run straight at him you’d be in a bit of barney (trouble).”
A few words to describe these teammates:
Ash Taylor – training dodger Nathan Peats – annoying
Jai Whitbread – rates himself as a glamour
Brenko Lee – the most simple human I’ve met
Phillip Sami – him and Brenko are two peas in a pod. Dumb and dumber.
Ryan James – rich
KEEGAN HIPGRAVE Your backyard hero
“Probably Paul Harragon. I always looked up to Paul because off the field he was such a good guy but such a good footy player. Everyone respects him. Also guys like Corey Parker. I got a chance to have a pre-season with him when I was at Broncs so I pretty much just stuck to him the whole pre-season and tried to learn as much as I could. And then guys like Gorden Tallis and Shane Webcke, those oldschool tough forwards.”
The rival you dread facing “Probably Kalyn Ponga. I grew up playing with him and he’s such a good guy and so talented. He’s so skillful and
when you’re one-on-one with him he is so hard to defend. He makes you look silly and he made me look silly a couple of times last year when I was playing on the edge.”
A few words to describe these teammates:
Ash Taylor – talented, ambitious Bryce Cartwright – skillful AJ Brimson – down to earth Kevin Proctor – leader
MAX KING Your backyard hero
“I always thought Sam Burgess was the man. He leads by example.
I used to be a Penrith fan growing up so Rhys Wesser and Preston Campbell as well, I used to love them. Genetically it just didn’t work out for me.”
The rival you dread facing
“Taumololo. He’s so good, his footwork at the line.
You feel like you’re just left hanging on a little bit.
You don’t have a chance to really line him up and dominate him.
He’s always running hard and changing directions really well so I always think he’s a nightmare to handle.”
A few words to describe these teammates:
Tyrone Peachey – loud Mitch Rein – banterful Jai Arrow – lair up Michael Gordon – great bloke
JARROD WALLACE Your backyard hero
“I always loved the Shane Webckes and Petero (Civoniceva) and all that but I never really used to watch football that much as a kid. I was always out playing or my old man was playing.”
The rival you dread facing
“Taumololo. He’s a big machine.
He’s a big man, good on his feet and has a good workrate. He’s tough.”
A few words to describe these teammates:
Shannon Boyd – big Tyrone Roberts – dad Anthony Don – reliable Dale Copley - brains