Adam Cuthbertson - SeaEagles
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
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VOD - Meet Adam Cuthbertson
Manlys Adam Cuthbertson is a back-rower who breaks all the stereotypes. The 22-year-old from Sydneys northern beaches possesses a wicked step and the ball skills of a five-eighth that were groomed from years of playing representative basketball.
As a kid, this 105-kilogram giant played every sport under the sun. He started with soccer when he was four, but quickly realised he was too slow and big for that game, so he took up league.
Cuthbertson then found himself with a blooming rugby career until Manly legend Mark Spud Carroll, brought this prodigious talent back to league and the Sea Eagles.
I tried out for one of Manlys junior reps sides when I was 14, just as a muck-around thing with a mate, Cuthbertson recalls.
Spud was coach of the side and he wanted me in the team. After a while I got more and more serious about league and everything else had to be put into the background.
The Avalon junior started life as a prop but found himself playing in the back row and centres in union. It is this, along with playing around in the local park with mates that Cuthbertson credits with developing skills not often seen in a forward, and he makes no apologies for it.
I never thought just because I was playing prop I couldnt have a step or an offload, he offers. Because I played basketball until I was 17 I had good ball skills and like every prop I wanted to be a five-eighth.
It also comes with playing touch footy with my mates. It helps massively because it takes the serious side out of things and you can try things without worrying about the consequences or what people are going to say.
And when Cuthbertson suddenly exhibited those skills in the NRL, there was only positive feedback. He was rewarded with a Man of the Match performance from Channel Nine and the exposure from that suddenly had Cuthbertson lauded as one of the hottest young prospects in the NRL.
I think I handled that quite well, he reflects. I didnt want to be a one-hit wonder so I put it all out of my mind and kept working on my game. Im still only just securing a position in first grade. I dont want to lose it now by listening too much to what other people are saying about me.
As a local junior was it always a goal to play for the Sea Eagles?
I didnt think about Manly necessarily. I played a lot of sports and I just knew whichever one I picked I wanted to be a professional in it. I always wanted to be a professional sportsman, no matter what sport it was, I wanted to do well.
Do you have any hidden talents?
I really love my music and I play the guitar. My mates and I write a few songs together. I like a big variety of music, which some people find weird.
As a northern beaches native are you much of a surfer?
I love surfing and I love watching it. All my mates surf so Ill go down to the beach and watch them
but Im terrible at it! When we were younger Id be at footy training while they were surfing so I never spent as much time as them at the beach.
How important are your mates to you?
Theyre massively important. They keep me grounded, theyd never let me get a big head. Its also good to not be serious all the time and have people outside of football to spend time with.
Whats the most unusual thing in your kit bag?
I bring six headgears with me to every game. I wear the same one each game and I never need them all, but I always bring them all, just in case.
Which team-mate has the most annoying habit?
Brent Kite; he has to correct me in everything I do. He just sits there and waits until I say something wrong or do something wrong. Its all off-the-field stuff and its an obsession for him.
Who has been the biggest influence on your career?
Theres been a lot of people. Steve Menzies is someone I look up to. Des Hasler and the coaching staff have helped me out a lot this year in getting a lot of mistakes out of my game. Things like when to throw the ball and my fitness. Im always willing to listen to anyone who can offer advice.
VOD - Meet Adam Cuthbertson
Source: NRL
