Hey all,
Firstly, I just want to say a big thank you to every person who has made me feel comfortable at the club since day one. Hopefully I can repay you all by playing some good football. Dont expect miracles straight away, but we are certainly looking to continue building on our current form.
If you don't know already, Shane Flanagan was a big reason why I came to the club. He voiced his opinion straight away and made it public that he wanted me at the club when we first started talking. He was the first coach to do so out of the other clubs I had been speaking to, and that was a promising sign that he had my back and something I definitely respected.
Shane is the same as us really. Hes getting better and better every week. I enjoy working with him and hes got some great support stuff. He is just a great bloke and a great coach.
On the footy field, it was great to get the monkey off the back last week. Some people say we should be three from three, but that hasn't been the case and thats just footy. The football Gods werent kind to us in Round 1 and we blew too many chances and made fundamental errors in Round 2.
Moving to number 6, with Jeff Robson at 7 was great for me personally. Robbo has been around for a while and has been to a grand final. Like Pearcey at the Roosters, he allows me to play my natural game with more freedom. He adds a lot of patience into the team which is a massive positive for us, he has a great kicking game and steers the boys around the park well. He'll be good for me and good for the team.
This week will be a big match for us. We lifted to play the Premiers and won, but thats all erased now. Its a big task heading up to North Queensland and after arriving today all the guys are pumped to back it up. That's what we have to do, last week will mean nothing otherwise. We cant take them lightly when they have guys like Johnathan Thurston and Matty Bowen. I love testing myself against the best in the game, and JT is someone I rate as one of, if not, the best in the business.
Since joining the club I've gotten along well with Nathan Gardner. He's usually a little bit grumpy in the morning, so I like to give it to him to wake him up. Im always getting stuck into him and hes always into me... he doesn't mind a wrestle either I dont exactly know why. Footy wise, everyone knows what Gards can do. If he keeps working on his game and does the little things right, the sky is the limit for him. He honestly has some of the best foot work I have ever seen in rugby league.
On the other hand when I came to the club Wade Graham was the first one to show me around. We got along really well and he made the transition really easy for me and we struck up a good combination. He's a natural footballer and can play anywhere on the field. I think his build suits him in the back row but he adds a lot to the footy team no matter where he plays. I also really like playing with Jeremy Smith. Just his style and aggression is something I admire and he's a good character to have around the boys at training.
Ill wrap it up now. Thanks again for the support and Ill see you around.
Todd.
