Gidley sure hell be tackling Gallen
BY ROBERT DILLON
23 Jul, 2011 04:00 AM
KNIGHTS skipper Kurt Gidley has no doubt Paul Gallen will play in tonights crucial clash at Toyota Stadium but Cronulla officials are not so confident, deferring a decision on their inspirational leader until this morning.
Gallen was replaced in the second half of Cronullas loss to St George Illawarra on Monday with a calf strain, and while he is understood to be keen to play tonight, there is concern that he could exacerbate the injury.
Theres been no decision, a Cronulla spokesperson said yesterday.
To be honest, its probably unlikely that hell play but the coaching staff wanted to give him every opportunity. Theyll see how he pulls up in the morning and decide then.
Gidley, however, said he was preparing to shake hands with his long-time NSW Origin teammate when the two captains meet for the pre-match coin toss.
Ive seen Gal play with plenty of injuries before, so Id be expecting him to play this weekend, Gidley said.
Newcastle coach Rick Stone indicated yesterday he had made a conscious decision not to dwell on whether Gallen was in or out, after his team were upset by a North Queensland side minus Johnathan Thurston 12 days ago.
I havent really bought too much into the Paul Gallen thing, to be honest, Stone said.
All Ive got to do is prepare our team as best we can.
We probably didnt handle things too well when the Thurston thing came through, so Id prefer to downplay that, if anything.
The Knights have injury worries of their own after experienced forwards Dan Tolar (Achilles) and Neville Costigan (knee) were ruled out yesterday.
Stone said Zane Tetevano, who is yet to make his NRL debut, and reliable Marvin Karawana had been included in a squad of 18 that will be finalised an hour before kick-off.
Karawana has played in 31 NRL games for the Knights but only four this season.
Stone said the 24-year-old could be an asset for Newcastle in what shapes as a battle around the rucks if recent weather conditions continue.
Marvins been playing well in the NSW Cup and I think the conditions might suit him, Stone said.
Hes got a bit of footwork, he can cover a bit of edge for us, and lock, so hes got a bit of versatility and adds another dimension to our bench, which is important.
Having described the match as a make-or-break affair for both teams, Gidley said the Knights would be relying on a basic game plan.
Weve trained for wet-weather footy, holding the ball and completing our sets, so we feel really good, Gidley said.
Gidley said his teammates need to demand better of ourselves after consecutive losses to the Cowboys and Manly, which have caused the Knights to slide from sixth to ninth.
Previous to that, the month before was pretty good and we were probably winning our games through hard work and a pretty good arm wrestle, he said.
Stone was confident his troops are ready for anything the elements can throw at them.
Weve just tinkered with a few things in our attack in readiness for some ordinary weather, he said.
