From the SMH
Daniel Lane
Lawrence: too early to rule out Tigers
March 3, 2013
CHRIS LAWRENCE reckons Wests Tigers fans shouldn't be too despondent about their team's last-start trial loss to Sydney Roosters, saying it will take three months to gauge the premiership's genuine front-runners.
Lawrence, who watched the entire second half of the 28-16 defeat with an icepack on his shoulder, conceded while his team's final pre-season hitout wasn't pleasant viewing it should not define the Mick Potter-coached Tigers.
''A lot of people look at clubs during trials and say this 'n that, but I think it takes a good four or five weeks for a team to really find their feet,'' he said before indicating his shoulder was fine and he would play in the opening round match against Newcastle. ''It's not until the 10-12 week mark that you get a good guide as to who'll give it a good shot.
''I'm extremely confident we'll do well. We've been training great and it's now really just a matter of putting it all together on the field.''
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The Australian representative said he and his teammates were toughened by a challenging 2012 season which was ruined by a long list of injuries that rarely allowed for the Tigers to select their strongest team.
''We had to make a lot of changes throughout last year and as a team we learned things happen during a season that you can't control; if someone has to play out of position there's no point dwelling on that. I guess we learned in those instances an individual's effort has to be above where we [normally] need to be because while there'll be times when we mightn't win, there'll be more wins than losses if we focus on our game.''
Lawrence predicted Adam Blair, who was considered the world's best prop when he joined the club from Melbourne, would shine after he came under unwelcome scrutiny last season.
''He's been training the house down, and really leading the way,'' he said. ''He's been spending plenty of time mentoring the younger blokes and is in great shape. It's obvious he wants a big year.''
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Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/lawrence-too-early-to-rule-out-tigers-20130302-2fd2p.html#ixzz2MNSJOtd2
Daniel Lane
Lawrence: too early to rule out Tigers
March 3, 2013
CHRIS LAWRENCE reckons Wests Tigers fans shouldn't be too despondent about their team's last-start trial loss to Sydney Roosters, saying it will take three months to gauge the premiership's genuine front-runners.
Lawrence, who watched the entire second half of the 28-16 defeat with an icepack on his shoulder, conceded while his team's final pre-season hitout wasn't pleasant viewing it should not define the Mick Potter-coached Tigers.
''A lot of people look at clubs during trials and say this 'n that, but I think it takes a good four or five weeks for a team to really find their feet,'' he said before indicating his shoulder was fine and he would play in the opening round match against Newcastle. ''It's not until the 10-12 week mark that you get a good guide as to who'll give it a good shot.
''I'm extremely confident we'll do well. We've been training great and it's now really just a matter of putting it all together on the field.''
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The Australian representative said he and his teammates were toughened by a challenging 2012 season which was ruined by a long list of injuries that rarely allowed for the Tigers to select their strongest team.
''We had to make a lot of changes throughout last year and as a team we learned things happen during a season that you can't control; if someone has to play out of position there's no point dwelling on that. I guess we learned in those instances an individual's effort has to be above where we [normally] need to be because while there'll be times when we mightn't win, there'll be more wins than losses if we focus on our game.''
Lawrence predicted Adam Blair, who was considered the world's best prop when he joined the club from Melbourne, would shine after he came under unwelcome scrutiny last season.
''He's been training the house down, and really leading the way,'' he said. ''He's been spending plenty of time mentoring the younger blokes and is in great shape. It's obvious he wants a big year.''
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Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-league/league-news/lawrence-too-early-to-rule-out-tigers-20130302-2fd2p.html#ixzz2MNSJOtd2
