Grant in win-win with the fan base
YOU would hardly begrudge Wests Tigers fans if the biggest cheer on Saturday night is reserved for a man on the opposite side of the field and in Melbourne colours: hooker Harry Grant.
Grant rocketed to rookie of the year status and built a cultlike following as a Tiger last season, after coach Michael Maguire made one of the more astute recruitment decisions and signed the rising rake on a one-year loan deal.
The Yeppoon Seagulls junior gave Tigers fans a short but tantalising taste of what an elite No.9 could do to a side’s attack.
“That game against the Broncos last season, the crowd was chanting his name at Leichhardt Oval, I think that probably said it all,” Maguire said.
But the love affair with fans is only one part of Grant’s legacy at Concord. His Storm-like work ethic and standards was exactly what Maguire, who was an assistant to Craig Bellamy in Melbourne for five years, is desperately trying to inject into his Tigers outfit.
“Harry has got high standards and someone like Jacob Liddle is exactly the same,” Maguire said.
“To play in the No.9 position, you need to have that. You learn that from the people that have been in front of you. Harry had someone like Cameron Smith that led the way in
that position for a long, long time … A lot of what he’s done has dictated what being a hooker is all about now.”
And just like Maguire hoped, Grant’s time at Concord left an indelible mark on Liddle, who will not only get to test but prove himself against the Maroons hooker when the two sides clash at Sunshine Coast Stadium.
“We did a lot of extras together, he was good to have around. He came from that system down in Melbourne, so he knew a lot and he had a lot of good training habits. So I took as much as I could from him,” Liddle said.
“It’ll be a big challenge this week. Harry is a good player. He’s been playing Origin, so he is the benchmark at the moment of the hookers.
“Obviously they’ve got Brendan Smith too, who has been playing well at hooker.”
Building a formidable hooking rotation has been a priority for Maguire since becoming an NRL head coach with South Sydney back in 2012, where he guided the Redfern club to a historic premiership in 2014.