DANIELA FOCUSES ON CENTRE ROLE
By Wayne Cousins
Friday, 12 February 2010
Geoff Daniela will wear the number three jersey in Mackay tonight but the former Penrith centre is under no illusion to the challenge ahead of him.
Daniela steps out for the first time tonight for his new club when Wests Tigers play North Queensland in their first trial match of 2010 at Tiger Park, Walkerston.
He is one of several new signings in the team that also features several of the club’s promising U20 players from last season. The players will face a heavy track tonight with rain falling steadily since their arrival yesterday.
Daniela arrived at Concord Oval looking for a fresh start after being “stuck behind’ Michael Jennings.
Jennings may be gone but now he looks at the faces ahead of him in Chris Lawrence and Blake Ayshford. And then, from late March, there will be Lote Tuqiri.
“I also had Brad Tighe in front of me at Penrith as well as Jennings,’’ Daniela said.
“My only opportunity was on the wing and I didn’t really like playing there. I see myself as a centre. All I had to do on the wing was to finish off plays, so I needed a new challenge and I have certainly found one at Wests Tigers.
“Chris and Blake finished last season as the centre pairing but whatever opportunity I get to play centre, I will grab it with both hands.
“I prefer centre but when you are fighting for a first grade spot, you are just happy to get any jersey. Tim has told me that there is an opportunity there on the wing early with Taniela injured.”
Coach Sheens has been impressed with Daniela’s attitude and speed over summer.
“Geoff had limited opportunity at Penrith because of Jennings and the fact that he had a knee injury last season,’’ Sheens said.
“We saw he had a bit of a problem with his knee and he underwent an arthroscope in October which seems to have worked.
“Geoff has plenty of ability, has good speed and is a solid defender who has picked up our plays quite quickly.
“He gets his first chance to impress in Mackay tonight and we are keen to see how he goes. We may have lost Dean Collis but Geoff is a more than suitable replacement. We still have young Ayshford but Geoff will be a great addition to our outside backs.”
Daniela is confident he can enjoy a fine season with the Wests Tigers and is looking forward to playing in a team that has so much unpredictability in attack.
“I was lucky enough to play against the Wests Tigers at Leichhardt Oval last season. It was a Friday night game and the atmosphere at Leichhardt was unbelievable. It is one of those old grounds you love playing at as the crowd is right on you,’’ he said.
“I know for a fact there are not too many teams that enjoy playing the Wests Tigers as you just don’t know what to expect. One week they are red hot and the next, they are below par.
“We have spoken about being more consistent this season and if we can do that, we will go a long way.”
