KANE ELGEY ON HIS STRONG TITANS DEBUT
KANE Elgey feels like a different person. The Gold Coast Titans halfback will round out a promising rookie season when he goes head to head with Johnathan Thurston’s Cowboys in Townsville tonight.
A win would send Elgey and the Titans into the offseason brimming with confidence following a tumultuous year. But the result doesn’t really matter because the club has finally found the player who can permanently wear the No.7 jersey Scott Prince vacated in 2012.
Elgey’s rise in the past year has been stunning. He was building pools with his uncle before he collected the Holden Cup’s player of the year award for 2014 and he’s lived up to the hype in the top grade.
The 21-year-old Palm Beach Currumbin graduate, one of the few genuine local products at the club, now believes he’s becoming an NRL player.
“At the start of the year I didn’t think I’d get 16 games. It’s a lot to take in,” Elgey said.
“I’m a shy kid and going on that field telling everyone what to do … from Round 4 (debut) to now, I’m a different person.
“I’m trying to build for next year now. The last two wins have been good for us and me as well.
“It’s a bit of confidence going into next year. I just want to keep improving.
“I think I’ve earnt a bit of respect now. Hopefully it can stay.”
No one was sure how Elgey would handle the step up to the NRL.
He started the year in the Intrust Super Cup with Tweed Heads until a wrist injury to Daniel Mortimer saw coach Neil Henry thrust him into the NRL against the Sharks at Cronulla.
Elgey won four of his first five games. The Titans were on a roll and he was starting to feel like he belonged.
“That Panthers game (32-6 win in round 7) at home (was when I started to feel comfortable). It was my fourth game,” he said. “Then we went to New Zealand (scored two tries). I was devastated when I got that injury against Tigers.
“Coming back from the injury was hard. I couldn’t find the consistency. I found it in the last two games. Hopefully I can do it this weekend again.”
The Titans have won eight of the 15 NRL games Elgey has played this season. They boast just one victory from the eight he missed.
The most impressive thing about Elgey is his desire to become better. He spent all of 2014 studying video of Melbourne, Queensland and Australia ace Cooper Cronk. He watched closely as Broncos young gun Ashley Taylor, who will head to the Gold Coast next season, made his debut on Thursday.
“When I was in the under-20s last year I was looking a lot at Cronk’s vision,” he said.
“He’s non-stop talking. He just knows what he’s doing and his kicking game is at another level.”
“This year I’ve been taking each week as it comes looking at the back-rower running at me and half on my side.
“It’s going to be hard (next year). Hopefully I’m building from these last two games and we can have a good game up there, win or lose, to finish it off.’’
Titans forward Ryan James knew Elgey was destined for big things ever since they went to the same school but even he’s been surprised by the former Australian Schoolboy’s progression.
“Everything he does is on instinct (but he can also) play to a game plan. He’s improved game by game.’’