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LAWRENCE HIS OWN MAN AT CENTRE OR FIVE-EIGHTH
By Wayne Cousins
15/07/2010 3:23:05 PM
Wests Tigers centre Chris Lawrence says whilst he was flattered to be compared to a legend like Laurie Daley, he is more than happy just to be playing his own game.
Prior to his first NRL game as a starting five-eighth against Brisbane a fortnight ago, reports circulated that coach Tim Sheens likened Lawrence to a ‘young Laurie Daley’ in his ability to make a successful transition from a talented centre to a quality five-eighth.
Lawrence certainly started his stint well at five-eighth, scoring with his first touch of the ball in beating two defenders. He then backed it up with another solid display at five-eighth in the win over the Gold Coast Titans at Campbelltown last Friday night.
With Robert Lui returning to the team this week at half-back, Lawrence shifts back to centre with Benji Marshall moving back to his five-eighth role from half.
“It was good to get a run at five-eighth but at the moment, I am probably more comfortable in the centres,’’ Lawrence said.
“I enjoyed my stint at five-eighth and would be happy to put my hand up whenever asked upon again.
“ Whether I end up there later on in my career, I’m not sure. I definitely like in the next year or two to get a lot more ball in my hands.
“If I could achieve some of what Laurie Daley achieved, I would be very happy. It is a bit too soon for any comments like that to be made.
"I won’t be playing at five-eighth for the rest of this year and maybe not even next year. That (five-eighth) is a long term thing.”
Lawrence said the side had focused on not underestimating the North Queensland Cowboys when the two sides clash at Leichhardt Oval this Monday night.
“They are sitting in 15th place but when you have a look at their side on paper, they have eight or nine Origin stars and Test stars. They are dangerous all around the park. We are definitely not taking them lightly at all,’’ Lawrence said.
“It is a dangerous game for us. When they fire, they can beat anyone in the comp, so we definitely have to be at our best to beat them.
“It is a must win game for them and a must win game for us. Even though we are sitting third, we are only two losses away from being out of the eight, it is that close. We can’t afford to lose.
“A couple of wins can also set you right up for the finals. We are going to be using that as our motivation to really try and set the back end of the season up.
“Every time we play the Cowboys, it is a really, tough physical game that usually goes down to the wire. I’m expecting things to be exactly the same on Monday.”
Lawrence said his team-mates had to limit the amount of time half-back Jonathan Thurston has with the ball.
“You just have to shut down his options. He is the best half-back in the world, if not the best player, consistently over the last couple of years,’’ Lawrence added.
Gates open at Leichhardt Oval at 4.15pm. The Toyota Cup match starts at 5.20pm with the NRL clash at 7pm.
By Wayne Cousins
15/07/2010 3:23:05 PM
Wests Tigers centre Chris Lawrence says whilst he was flattered to be compared to a legend like Laurie Daley, he is more than happy just to be playing his own game.
Prior to his first NRL game as a starting five-eighth against Brisbane a fortnight ago, reports circulated that coach Tim Sheens likened Lawrence to a ‘young Laurie Daley’ in his ability to make a successful transition from a talented centre to a quality five-eighth.
Lawrence certainly started his stint well at five-eighth, scoring with his first touch of the ball in beating two defenders. He then backed it up with another solid display at five-eighth in the win over the Gold Coast Titans at Campbelltown last Friday night.
With Robert Lui returning to the team this week at half-back, Lawrence shifts back to centre with Benji Marshall moving back to his five-eighth role from half.
“It was good to get a run at five-eighth but at the moment, I am probably more comfortable in the centres,’’ Lawrence said.
“I enjoyed my stint at five-eighth and would be happy to put my hand up whenever asked upon again.
“ Whether I end up there later on in my career, I’m not sure. I definitely like in the next year or two to get a lot more ball in my hands.
“If I could achieve some of what Laurie Daley achieved, I would be very happy. It is a bit too soon for any comments like that to be made.
"I won’t be playing at five-eighth for the rest of this year and maybe not even next year. That (five-eighth) is a long term thing.”
Lawrence said the side had focused on not underestimating the North Queensland Cowboys when the two sides clash at Leichhardt Oval this Monday night.
“They are sitting in 15th place but when you have a look at their side on paper, they have eight or nine Origin stars and Test stars. They are dangerous all around the park. We are definitely not taking them lightly at all,’’ Lawrence said.
“It is a dangerous game for us. When they fire, they can beat anyone in the comp, so we definitely have to be at our best to beat them.
“It is a must win game for them and a must win game for us. Even though we are sitting third, we are only two losses away from being out of the eight, it is that close. We can’t afford to lose.
“A couple of wins can also set you right up for the finals. We are going to be using that as our motivation to really try and set the back end of the season up.
“Every time we play the Cowboys, it is a really, tough physical game that usually goes down to the wire. I’m expecting things to be exactly the same on Monday.”
Lawrence said his team-mates had to limit the amount of time half-back Jonathan Thurston has with the ball.
“You just have to shut down his options. He is the best half-back in the world, if not the best player, consistently over the last couple of years,’’ Lawrence added.
Gates open at Leichhardt Oval at 4.15pm. The Toyota Cup match starts at 5.20pm with the NRL clash at 7pm.