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A new cat in town: can Tiger Laurie bump Mbye from Maguire’s team?
By Adam Pengilly
February 28, 2021 — 6.57pm
Matt Burton might have been watching Daine Laurie on Sunday and thinking about the possibilities, because a few weeks ago Laurie was stuck at Penrith with nowhere to go. If he played a couple of NRL games this year it might have been an achievement, then he could have packed his bags for Concord and tried to ignite his career.
But the Tigers got creative. They offered Paul Momirovski in a player swap — this one permanent — and dragged the livewire fullback into the fold 12 months ahead of schedule.
At this rate he will have a section of the Wayne Pearce Hill named in his honour by the end of the season.
As for Burton, like Laurie he too will have to leave Ivan Cleary’s record-breakers for opportunity. It will be with Canterbury in 2022 at this stage. Penrith have every right to stand their ground, but watching Laurie shine might have sharpened Trent Barrett’s resolve with Burton.
Laurie, 21, is emblematic of what coach Michael Maguire has been chasing for a few years: depth to create selection headaches. Moses Mbye was the frontrunner for the fullback jersey until Laurie boarded a bus for Tamworth and a pre-season camp.
Now, how does Maguire leave Laurie out of the season opener against Canberra after a scintillating display in the Tigers’ only serious trial?
He scored two tries inside the first 12 minutes as Mbye sat out the game with a hamstring complaint. The Tigers flogged the Sea Eagles 52-18, and it could have been more. Laurie had a hand in others and was the spark the Tigers have been looking for at the back since James Tedesco flew the coop.
“I was pretty rattled [joining the club], but I knew a couple of the boys that came over from Penrith,” Laurie said. “It made the move pretty good. It was good to get an opportunity. When they told me to come over here I was excited.
“If the opportunity comes [in round one], I’ll take it with both hands, but it’s up to Madge [Maguire] and the coaching staff.”
Manly coach Des Hasler didn’t bother playing Daly Cherry-Evans, Kieran Foran, Jake Trbojevic and Dylan Walker. Ben Trbojevic was on the scoresheet, but it was about the only bright note for the Sea Eagles.
“It was a trial so you can’t take too much more out of it than that,” Hasler said. “We came into the trial with seven players out.”
Hasler watched Cade Cust, one of the last contenders for the hooking spot, leave the field midway through the first half with an arm injury.
As each of the Tigers’ summer recruits left the field for early showers, the Leichhardt grandstand cheered. James Roberts, who latched onto a Luke Brooks kick to score in the second half, was afforded one of the loudest.
If nothing else, a Roberts and Joey Leilua centre pairing will be wildly entertaining this year. Roberts almost scored with his first touch in Tigers colours, then missed a tackle on Jack Gosiewski on his next involvement which led to a long Manly break.
Leilua missed the game with a minor foot complaint, but few could have missed the impact of his younger brother Luciano. As Luciano’s old club St George Illawarra crash and burn through the pre-season, every Red V fan wonders how he slipped through the net.
It wasn’t just Laurie who shone from the new boys. Captain James Tamou and fellow prop Joe Ofanhengaue were strong in an opening stint, likewise Stefano Utoikamanu, and Jacob Liddle looked every bit the hooker the Tigers thought he was going to be.
The Tigers blasted to a 22-6 lead at the break, not surprising when Reuben Garrick’s kick-off almost sailed into the first row on the northern concourse.
Hasler has shown in previous years he cares little for rolling out big guns in trials, and this result wouldn’t have been a big shock as the Tigers notched a half-century with eight minutes to go.
By Adam Pengilly
February 28, 2021 — 6.57pm
Matt Burton might have been watching Daine Laurie on Sunday and thinking about the possibilities, because a few weeks ago Laurie was stuck at Penrith with nowhere to go. If he played a couple of NRL games this year it might have been an achievement, then he could have packed his bags for Concord and tried to ignite his career.
But the Tigers got creative. They offered Paul Momirovski in a player swap — this one permanent — and dragged the livewire fullback into the fold 12 months ahead of schedule.
At this rate he will have a section of the Wayne Pearce Hill named in his honour by the end of the season.
As for Burton, like Laurie he too will have to leave Ivan Cleary’s record-breakers for opportunity. It will be with Canterbury in 2022 at this stage. Penrith have every right to stand their ground, but watching Laurie shine might have sharpened Trent Barrett’s resolve with Burton.
Laurie, 21, is emblematic of what coach Michael Maguire has been chasing for a few years: depth to create selection headaches. Moses Mbye was the frontrunner for the fullback jersey until Laurie boarded a bus for Tamworth and a pre-season camp.
Now, how does Maguire leave Laurie out of the season opener against Canberra after a scintillating display in the Tigers’ only serious trial?
He scored two tries inside the first 12 minutes as Mbye sat out the game with a hamstring complaint. The Tigers flogged the Sea Eagles 52-18, and it could have been more. Laurie had a hand in others and was the spark the Tigers have been looking for at the back since James Tedesco flew the coop.
“I was pretty rattled [joining the club], but I knew a couple of the boys that came over from Penrith,” Laurie said. “It made the move pretty good. It was good to get an opportunity. When they told me to come over here I was excited.
“If the opportunity comes [in round one], I’ll take it with both hands, but it’s up to Madge [Maguire] and the coaching staff.”
Manly coach Des Hasler didn’t bother playing Daly Cherry-Evans, Kieran Foran, Jake Trbojevic and Dylan Walker. Ben Trbojevic was on the scoresheet, but it was about the only bright note for the Sea Eagles.
“It was a trial so you can’t take too much more out of it than that,” Hasler said. “We came into the trial with seven players out.”
Hasler watched Cade Cust, one of the last contenders for the hooking spot, leave the field midway through the first half with an arm injury.
As each of the Tigers’ summer recruits left the field for early showers, the Leichhardt grandstand cheered. James Roberts, who latched onto a Luke Brooks kick to score in the second half, was afforded one of the loudest.
If nothing else, a Roberts and Joey Leilua centre pairing will be wildly entertaining this year. Roberts almost scored with his first touch in Tigers colours, then missed a tackle on Jack Gosiewski on his next involvement which led to a long Manly break.
Leilua missed the game with a minor foot complaint, but few could have missed the impact of his younger brother Luciano. As Luciano’s old club St George Illawarra crash and burn through the pre-season, every Red V fan wonders how he slipped through the net.
It wasn’t just Laurie who shone from the new boys. Captain James Tamou and fellow prop Joe Ofanhengaue were strong in an opening stint, likewise Stefano Utoikamanu, and Jacob Liddle looked every bit the hooker the Tigers thought he was going to be.
The Tigers blasted to a 22-6 lead at the break, not surprising when Reuben Garrick’s kick-off almost sailed into the first row on the northern concourse.
Hasler has shown in previous years he cares little for rolling out big guns in trials, and this result wouldn’t have been a big shock as the Tigers notched a half-century with eight minutes to go.
