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http://www.smh.com.au/news/Sport/Eels-fullback-Burt-will-be-back-Hagan/2007/08/04/1185648191149.html#
Parramatta coach Michael Hagan says he'll have no hesitation rushing back injured fullback Luke Burt, even if it means disrupting a winning combination.
The third-placed Eels maintained the gap between them and the chasing pack with a 34-22 win over the Bulldogs at Telstra Stadium on Friday night, Parramatta now within sight of securing home ground advantage in the first week of the NRL finals.
The win was sealed by a spectacular Krisnan Inu four-pointer just before fulltime - the Kiwi rookie continuing to stamp his claims for a permanent berth in the Eels backline with another breathtaking display.
But with Jarryd Hayne, Ben Smith, Timana Tahu and Eric Grothe already firmly entrenched in the outside backs, Inu is facing the very real prospect of being the fall guy when Burt makes his expected return from a dislocated kneecap in the final regular season game against Brisbane.
Burt was in career-best form before his unfortunate injury, Hagan admitting he owed it to the 26-year-old to give him every chance to reclaim his No.1 jumper.
"There's no question about that - he's been an integral part of what we've done and I'm not about to forget what he's contributed," Hagan said.
"My attitude is something normally works itself out - that's been the case nearly all year and we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
"We've been lucky to have Krisnan and Joel Reddy come in and you always need one or two blokes to complement the five starting blokes.
"Luke was in great form before he went down - he was the (NRL's) leading pointscorer ... he's not due back for another three or four weeks and a fair bit can happen between now and then."
As luck has had it, Hagan hasn't had to make the hard decision yet.
Inu has already made 13 appearances this season with a hamstring injury to Tahu creating the initial opening. When Tahu returned it was Ben Smith who succumbed to injury to give Inu a reprieve before Burt went down against Newcastle in round 17.
While Inu's continued good form would have pleased Hagan, so too would his side's effort after the break.
The Eels have been slow out of the blocks from the restart in recent weeks, Hagan admitting he tinkered with his lineup in a bid to halt the worrying trend.
"We just changed our rotation a little bit with a couple of our senior guys on there after halftime," he said.
"I think the players have taken that on board and they're obviously wanting to finish games stronger than we have been and it was a great test of that against Canterbury."
Parramatta coach Michael Hagan says he'll have no hesitation rushing back injured fullback Luke Burt, even if it means disrupting a winning combination.
The third-placed Eels maintained the gap between them and the chasing pack with a 34-22 win over the Bulldogs at Telstra Stadium on Friday night, Parramatta now within sight of securing home ground advantage in the first week of the NRL finals.
The win was sealed by a spectacular Krisnan Inu four-pointer just before fulltime - the Kiwi rookie continuing to stamp his claims for a permanent berth in the Eels backline with another breathtaking display.
But with Jarryd Hayne, Ben Smith, Timana Tahu and Eric Grothe already firmly entrenched in the outside backs, Inu is facing the very real prospect of being the fall guy when Burt makes his expected return from a dislocated kneecap in the final regular season game against Brisbane.
Burt was in career-best form before his unfortunate injury, Hagan admitting he owed it to the 26-year-old to give him every chance to reclaim his No.1 jumper.
"There's no question about that - he's been an integral part of what we've done and I'm not about to forget what he's contributed," Hagan said.
"My attitude is something normally works itself out - that's been the case nearly all year and we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
"We've been lucky to have Krisnan and Joel Reddy come in and you always need one or two blokes to complement the five starting blokes.
"Luke was in great form before he went down - he was the (NRL's) leading pointscorer ... he's not due back for another three or four weeks and a fair bit can happen between now and then."
As luck has had it, Hagan hasn't had to make the hard decision yet.
Inu has already made 13 appearances this season with a hamstring injury to Tahu creating the initial opening. When Tahu returned it was Ben Smith who succumbed to injury to give Inu a reprieve before Burt went down against Newcastle in round 17.
While Inu's continued good form would have pleased Hagan, so too would his side's effort after the break.
The Eels have been slow out of the blocks from the restart in recent weeks, Hagan admitting he tinkered with his lineup in a bid to halt the worrying trend.
"We just changed our rotation a little bit with a couple of our senior guys on there after halftime," he said.
"I think the players have taken that on board and they're obviously wanting to finish games stronger than we have been and it was a great test of that against Canterbury."
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