Knights hand Dureau, Bailey half shot
KNIGHTS halves hopefuls Scott Dureau and Chris Bailey will get first crack at securing one of the play-making positions when they split time partnering Jarrod Mullen in the NRL trial against New Zealand Warriors at North Harbour Stadium on February 15.
Coach Brian Smith will name a 22-man squad in the week leading up to the Knights' first serious hit-out but indicated Dureau and Bailey would be preferred for the Warriors game over 2007 No.7 Luke Walsh, who has been plagued by injury and illness during summer.
Barring injury, Mullen is the only certainty for a scrum-base start in Newcastle's NRL season-opener against Canberra at EnergyAustralia Stadium on March 15.
But whether he plays five-eighth or half could depend more on the performances of Dureau, Bailey and Walsh in trials against the Warriors, then Cronulla at Cessnock Sportsground on March 1, than his own contribution.
"We'll probably only take one of the halves, and because Walshy's not been able to train at all until the last week or so, we're looking at taking Dureau [at halfback] and Bailey [at five-eighth] to fit in with Mullo," Smith said.
"I'd say Mullo will probably get a bit of time at both five-eighth and half, and the other two will get a bit of time in their chosen positions."
Smith stressed Walsh was still in the mix for the season proper but had to establish a strong fitness base in the final month of training after ankle surgery then an abdominal ailment wiped out most of his pre-Christmas conditioning program.
"We're probably looking for a good solid month's worth of training for him, then he'll get a trial in that game against the Sharks at Cessnock," he said.
Dureau's only NRL appearance came in Newcastle's 50-16 loss to Manly at Gosford in August last year, but that made the Taree-born 21-year-old hungrier for more.
"Getting that one shot, I realised last year how close I was to being a full-time first-grader, so it's addictive, really you get one taste and you just want more," said Dureau, who signed a new two-year deal at the end of last season.
A halfback by choice and Newcastle's Premier League Player of the Year last season, Dureau said he had benefited greatly from the skills sessions conducted by former captain and halfback Andrew Johns in the past two months.
"We've had a few sessions with him, and any time you get a chance to train with Joey, it's a goldmine, really. You want it to go for 10 hours rather than one," he said.
"If you picked up just one per cent of the understanding that he had, you're going to go a long way, so any time you get to spend time with him, you've got to listen and learn as much as you can because you never know when he'll be back.
"There's some healthy competition for positions and that's good. I can't wait for the trials and the start of the season to come around."
