Joey backs Mullen to be a hit again
- By Barry Toohey
- August 08, 2010 12:01AM
Back on top...Jarrod Mullen.
Source: The Daily Telegraph
ANDREW Johns noticed the change in Jarrod Mullen's game a month ago.
Initially, they were subtle differences.
The long cut-out passes and trick-shot banana kicks, desperation plays as Johns calls them, had disappeared.
So, too, the indecision and panic football that had punctuated his performances and that of the Knights for a large chunk of the season.
The most powerful weapon in his arsenal - his running game - was back and he was looking more relaxed and more measured.
But Johns says the most compelling difference came when Mullen didn't have the football in his hands.
"It was in the way he was defending," Johns says. "That was the most noticeable and significant change for me. He was suddenly playing tougher. Hitting harder. Driving into tackles with his shoulder and putting his body on the line.
"That's what I noticed most with Jarrod. There were great signs just in that part of his game that he'd turned a corner with his form and confidence."
When Mullen delivered his man of the match heroics in the Knights' win against Manly last Monday night, it came as no great surprise to his mentor and former champion Newcastle halfback.
"His form earlier in the year probably reflected the team's, but he's been building towards it for sure. It was great to see. I was happy for him," Johns said.
If there has been a question about Mullen and his ability to emerge from his days as a teenage talent who played State of Origin for NSW as a 20-year-old, it's always been about his mental toughness.
His skill and work ethic have never been questioned. But his reaction to pressure situations and his body language when things haven't gone as planned has been an anchor. He can be intense. Sometimes too intense for his own good.
"I'm my own harshest critic," Mullen said. "I guess I was brought up that way, but in this game, you have to take the bad with the good and move on. I know that. I'm understanding that more and more. It's something I've worked on. A few of the boys and Stoney [coach Rick Stone] have spoken to me about that side of my game.
"Joey's talked about it, too, and I've been working pretty hard with Andrew Dunemann [assistant coach]. But I'm still learning. Learning how to prepare myself properly for games, that type of thing."
Mullen is closing in on 100 NRL games for the Knights, but it's easy to forget he is still only 23.
It's also easy to underestimate the intense pressure on a young bloke who stepped into the void left by the retirement of a league legend. Former Knights coach Michael Hagan says that pressure should never be discounted.
"The expectation still on Jarrod from the town is right up there and he cops his fair share of criticism on the back of that," Hagan says.
"But a lot of the criticism comes because people know what he is capable of and I'm sure Jarrod's probably a bit disappointed in what he delivered during the early part of this season.
"But he looks to have his confidence back. He's engaging the line more and his kicking game against Manly was first class. The signs are good."
Mullen will look to build on his late season run when the Knights take on the Bulldogs at EnergyAustralia Stadium Sunday afternoon. If they chalk up another win, it's a fair bet Mullen will have a lot to do with it.
