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http://www.theherald.com.au/news/lo...aining-works-out-for-knights-no6/2098659.aspxExtra training works out for Knights No.6
BRETT KEEBLE
09 Mar, 2011 04:00 PM
WHEN he headed home to the South Coast to spend Christmas with his family, Knights rookie Beau Henry knew he was off the pace.
Still recovering from reconstructive shoulder surgery in August, the Warilla Gorillas and St George Illawarra junior had made slow progress during his first block of pre-season training in Newcastle and realised he had to spend more time working out and less time loading up on leftovers.
Henry said he trained with a friend every day of the team’s two-week break, and he credits those extra sweat sessions for his selection at five-eighth for Newcastle’s first game of the season against Penrith at Centrebet Stadium on Sunday.
Coach Rick Stone chose the 21-year-old prospect ahead of Ben Rogers to partner halfback Jarrod Mullen against Penrith’s pairing of Travis Burns and Knights junior Luke Walsh.
‘‘When I went home, I spent a couple of days with my family, then I went around to one of my mate’s house ... every day and started training,’’ Henry told the Newcastle Herald yesterday.
‘‘I knew if I wanted to play first grade, I had to get into physical shape to prepare myself to play, so that’s what I did and I knew what I had to do.
‘‘When the time came around to start training again in January, I was ready to go.’’
Henry and fellow Dragons recruit Neville Costigan, who was named in the second row, will become the 221st and 222nd players to play first grade for the Knights.
Judged the 2009 National Youth Cup Player of the Year after a stand-out season at the Dragons, Henry said he was ready to make his NRL debut.
‘‘I definitely feel confident with everything I’ve learned over the last two months of the pre-season,’’ he said.
‘‘My shoulder feels good, so I’m ready to get out there and have a really good go, put my best foot forward and help the team out.
‘‘I had a goal last year to play first grade and I didn’t get there, then I had a little setback and it kind of put myself down a little bit.
‘‘But once I came to the Knights there was a good opportunity here, so I came here and put my head down and worked hard.
‘‘I came into the trials a couple of weeks earlier than I thought, so I was pretty happy to get out there and start playing again.’’
Once he signed a three-year deal with the Knights last June, Henry said he started studying tapes of Mullen and the Newcastle halves to prepare to play alongside his new teammates.
Stone preferred the ‘‘good mix’’ of Henry and Mullen, and it allowed him to retain captain Kurt Gidley at fullback.
He said Henry, Mullen, Gidley and hooker Isaac De Gois would provide the Knights with one of the strongest spines in the competition.
‘‘We brought him here as one of the best young players in the game in his position, and the idea was he was going to play first grade here at some stage,’’ Stone said.
‘‘Having a left-foot [Mullen] and right-foot [Henry] kicking game, having someone we think can hold his gloves up in the defensive line and also be a quality passer and runner of the footy, is a good mix for us.
‘‘We feel with Beau, Mullo, Kurt and Isaac, we’re going to have as good a threat through the middle part of the field as anyone in the league.
‘‘I think Beau is confident of playing with whoever we put with him ... and I’m confident they will complement each other well. Beau gets his chance to ease his way in a little bit by playing the six and allowing Mullo to play first receiver a little bit more.’’
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