sharks8601
Juniors
- Messages
- 2,038
BEN Pomeroy was trying to disguise his frustration with dark sunglasses. While his new teammates at Cronulla were sweating under the sun in heavy pre-season training, he couldn't get past a walk.
And he was embarrassed.
It was the summer of '05-06. His dark times. When he thought he might never play again.
As the dynamic Sharks centre yesterday walked along the beach near the Sharks' three-day abode at Kiama, he was a different man - and a key man as the Sharks move perilously close again to that evasive first premiership victory.
So too is the man Pomeroy came from Penrith with, Ben Ross, who has been the subject of "not worth the big bucks" tag since he's been at Toyota Park, with constant speculation the Sharks would be happy to offload him. A while back, Pomeroy was the other "dud" from the foot of the mountains - although the fact he was on about a third of Ross's $400,000-plus annual fee, and had played just 10 first-grade games with the Panthers, kept him under controversy's radar.
Pomeroy, then 21, joined the Sharks as, well it can't be sugar-coated, a crock. After a groin injury had troubled him right through 2005, he went under the knife to repair a chronic osteitis pubis complaint after being unable to walk for five minutes without having to sit down to relieve the pain.
He couldn't break out of a jog so his new club ordered him to a new specialist and a second operation. By the time he hesitantly embarked on a comeback in Premier League in round four of 2006 it had been 10 months since he'd laced a boot. When he first ran out with the Sharks' top side in round 17, it was 13 months between first-grade appearances.
But the good news is that he has since played for City Origin
twice, toured with the Prime Minister's XIII and played 56 out of 59 club games.
"I started to think it wouldn't ever get any better and I wouldn't play again," recalled Pomeroy in a country-style drawl that reeks of a down-to-earth bloke. "Ricky Stuart hit the nail on the head best when he described the pain as like having your nuts tied to your ankles. You get pain all across your pubic region and underneath your bum; it was intense at times.
"If I went to the shops I had to sit down after five minutes because it would ache that badly.
"I know the Sharks had doubts on whether I'd come good, it was a bit stressful but luckily they stuck by me and I turned it around."
Turn around it has. He's now one of the NRL's best centres, all raw power and passion at full throttle - and one win away from going into a grand final and eyeing the Sharks' first-ever premiership victory.
Coach Ricky Stuart says he is one of those humble, unselfish kids without an ego - a pleasure to plough time and effort into.
"He's got a lot of work to do still on his catch and pass game; we're constantly doing drills on his eye-hand co-ordination," says Stuart. "He's a strong athlete but he's still learning about being a footballer. Physically it was a matter of balancing his body.
"He was all power up top with no real core strength and that's why he had problems with his groin. What I like about Ben is he's realistic about himself, there's no ego; he's not selfish in any way. It's all about the team, not about him and that's why it's such a pleasure to help a bloke like that."
And he's a big reason why the Sharks - on the "soft" side of the preliminary finals draw - are one win away from a crack at the club's first premiership.
He stands fifth on this year's NRL line-break list with 18 behind Bill Slater, Michael Jennings, Steve Bell and Manu Vatuvei, figures supported by his 95 tackle busts and average 105m gains per game - outstanding for a centre.
However, setting up his winger is one area he must improve on.
"I tend to just stick the ball under my wing and run," says Pomeroy, who went from playing outside Peter Wallace in Penrith's Jersey Flegg in 2004 to first grade by the end of that season.
"Ricky has worked on the finer parts of my game; ball skills, passing and running good lines, being persistent at it and making sure you stick to it."
link: http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/sport/nrl/story/0,26746,24369488-5016291,00.html
And he was embarrassed.
It was the summer of '05-06. His dark times. When he thought he might never play again.
As the dynamic Sharks centre yesterday walked along the beach near the Sharks' three-day abode at Kiama, he was a different man - and a key man as the Sharks move perilously close again to that evasive first premiership victory.
So too is the man Pomeroy came from Penrith with, Ben Ross, who has been the subject of "not worth the big bucks" tag since he's been at Toyota Park, with constant speculation the Sharks would be happy to offload him. A while back, Pomeroy was the other "dud" from the foot of the mountains - although the fact he was on about a third of Ross's $400,000-plus annual fee, and had played just 10 first-grade games with the Panthers, kept him under controversy's radar.
Pomeroy, then 21, joined the Sharks as, well it can't be sugar-coated, a crock. After a groin injury had troubled him right through 2005, he went under the knife to repair a chronic osteitis pubis complaint after being unable to walk for five minutes without having to sit down to relieve the pain.
He couldn't break out of a jog so his new club ordered him to a new specialist and a second operation. By the time he hesitantly embarked on a comeback in Premier League in round four of 2006 it had been 10 months since he'd laced a boot. When he first ran out with the Sharks' top side in round 17, it was 13 months between first-grade appearances.
But the good news is that he has since played for City Origin
twice, toured with the Prime Minister's XIII and played 56 out of 59 club games.
"I started to think it wouldn't ever get any better and I wouldn't play again," recalled Pomeroy in a country-style drawl that reeks of a down-to-earth bloke. "Ricky Stuart hit the nail on the head best when he described the pain as like having your nuts tied to your ankles. You get pain all across your pubic region and underneath your bum; it was intense at times.
"If I went to the shops I had to sit down after five minutes because it would ache that badly.
"I know the Sharks had doubts on whether I'd come good, it was a bit stressful but luckily they stuck by me and I turned it around."
Turn around it has. He's now one of the NRL's best centres, all raw power and passion at full throttle - and one win away from going into a grand final and eyeing the Sharks' first-ever premiership victory.
Coach Ricky Stuart says he is one of those humble, unselfish kids without an ego - a pleasure to plough time and effort into.
"He's got a lot of work to do still on his catch and pass game; we're constantly doing drills on his eye-hand co-ordination," says Stuart. "He's a strong athlete but he's still learning about being a footballer. Physically it was a matter of balancing his body.
"He was all power up top with no real core strength and that's why he had problems with his groin. What I like about Ben is he's realistic about himself, there's no ego; he's not selfish in any way. It's all about the team, not about him and that's why it's such a pleasure to help a bloke like that."
And he's a big reason why the Sharks - on the "soft" side of the preliminary finals draw - are one win away from a crack at the club's first premiership.
He stands fifth on this year's NRL line-break list with 18 behind Bill Slater, Michael Jennings, Steve Bell and Manu Vatuvei, figures supported by his 95 tackle busts and average 105m gains per game - outstanding for a centre.
However, setting up his winger is one area he must improve on.
"I tend to just stick the ball under my wing and run," says Pomeroy, who went from playing outside Peter Wallace in Penrith's Jersey Flegg in 2004 to first grade by the end of that season.
"Ricky has worked on the finer parts of my game; ball skills, passing and running good lines, being persistent at it and making sure you stick to it."
link: http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/sport/nrl/story/0,26746,24369488-5016291,00.html
