‘Do whatever you can’: Players urged to target wounded rivals
Andrew Johns has delivered a timely message to NRL players in the finals series, with some high-profile stars carrying well-documented injuries.
Sharks playmaker Braydon Trindall is still feeling the effects of the shoulder he dislocated just last month, battling through 80 minutes of agony in his side’s elimination final victory over the Cowboys last weekend.
Nathan Cleary. Getty Images
Panthers halfback Nathan Cleary is dealing with a stress-related foot injury and while he gets a timely week off before the preliminary final, he will be well-below 100 per cent when the premiership favourites next take the field.
Speaking on Nine’s Freddy and The Eighth this week, Johns asked a blunt question to his co-host Brad Fittler about potentially targeting a wounded Cleary.
“If you’re coaching against Nathan, are you telling your players to stand on it and stomp on it? Every scrum, stand on it,” Johns said.
Fittler’s response was that players should leave no stone unturned.
“Do whatever you can,” the former NSW Blues coach said.
While he is one of the toughest players the game has seen, Cleary was grimacing and hobbling around in the dying stages of Penrith’s win over the Roosters, most notably after kicking the field goal to give his team an advantage.
Penrith will face the winner of the Warriors and Knights for a spot in the grand final, with Cleary expected to play through the pain.
Before the champion Panthers captain is back lighting up the finals however, the attention will be on another in-form but struggling star in Trindall.
The 27-year-old managed to come up with some clutch moments against North Queensland, including a brave try-saving tackle on Heilum Luki.
Trindall spent much of the game defending on the wing, which made it tricky for the Cowboys to exploit – but Fittler believes it’s still possible.
“You’ve got to bring some tactics in, not just to get him to tackle, but try and get him to be out of position,” the Roosters legend said.
“If you’ve got Marky Mark [Nawaqanitawase] or Daniel Tupou on him and he’s on the wing ... don’t worry about his shoulder, just get him out of position.”
Johns said that Trindall needed to be making 30 tackles against the Tricolours and urged Siua Wong to be running at the five-eighth wherever possible.
Braydon Trindall clutches at his injured shoulder. Nine
Phil Gould noted a similar warning for Trindall, who led the NRL for try assists in the regular season and has established himself as the Sharks’ leading man.
“I’m not sure about Braydon Trindall – it was extremely courageous to do what he did the other night, but he’s gonna see plenty of Siua Wong this weekend,” Gould said on Wide World Of Sports’ Six Tackles With Gus.
The performance against the Cowboys earned Trindall plenty of praise for his toughness and bravery, but there could be one necessary tweak on Saturday.
Bulldogs great Reni Maitua said on BTFU’s 180 Podcast that the classy No.6 needed to do a better job hiding his discomfort and not putting a target on his shoulder for opposition players, such as Wong, to run at.
“Tricky, I’m gonna give you a little bit of advice – we know you’re injured so when the camera’s on you, just hide it,” Maitua said.
“I know how much the shoulder hurts. He knows the camera’s on him. We get it, I’ve had the same injury, it’s f---ing horrendous, but don’t show me as a back-rower that you’ve got a bad shoulder because I’m gonna destroy you.
“[If I was] the back-rower, I’m absolutely ripping him to shreds.”
Cronulla will face the Roosters on Saturday night at Allianz Stadium, with the winner advancing to face the Dolphins in a grand final qualifier.
