Little 'Grub' Josh Reynolds out to emulate Michael Ennis
James Phelps
From: The Daily Telegraph
May 20, 2011 12:00AM
JOSH Reynolds picked up the phone yesterday.
"Yeah Mick Ennis called," said Reynolds, who will make his debut for the Bulldogs tonight when they take on the Raiders.
"He said 'remember everything I have taught you. To wear the No. 9 with pride and give them a little bit of you know what'."
You don't have to think too hard to work out what a "bit of you know what" means coming from a player of Michael Ennis' ilk. Especially when the advice is directed to the player the boys at Belmore call the grub.
"Yeah he has passed on some lessons in that department," said Reynolds.
"And I listen because he is the best in the business when it comes to his talk."
Reynolds is the other "grub" at Belmore. While no one can hold a flame to Ennis, who will miss tonight's clash due to Origin, when it comes to cheek and chat, his replacement Reynolds has been learning from the best.
"Everyone says we have two grubs at the club," Reynolds said. "But I don't mind that if they are comparing me to Mick. I mean he is the NSW hooker and one of the best players around. He has been spending a lot of time with me, teaching me and showing me the ropes, and I have been listening."
A halfback-come-hooker, Reynolds has been taken under Ennis' wing. Since being called up into the Bulldogs NRL squad, the NSW Cup grand final winning man-of-the-match, has been mentored and challenged by the man they call the "Menace".
"He knows all the tricks of the trade," Reynolds said.
"He has taught me a lot of stuff around the ruck. He does a lot of stand-up plays and things like that and he has really worked a lot on that with me. He is like having an extra half on the field and he has shown me how to lead the forwards.
"Most of all he has shown me how to compete and told me to give it my all. We get into each other a bit in training and I guess I try and be as competitive as he is."
A Bulldogs junior who has rocketed through the ranks, he gets his chance tonight.
"I have been waiting my whole life for this but to be honest I have only been ready since the end of the pre-season," Reynolds said.
"I went OK in the trials and it was good to get a sniff. Blokes like Mick and Brett Kimmorley have really helped my development and I am hoping to have a good game and maybe challenge for a bench spot in the future."
Reynolds hasn't played grade yet but he is already in the sights of rival clubs. Off-contract at the end of the year, the Rabbitohs have already made a play to secure him as a replacement for Chris Sandow.
"To be honest I want to stay here," he said. "There is a bit in front of me, but Kev has said that I can push on to the bench if I continue improving."
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I stopped reading after the 2nd paragraph, my comment to it was _"He said 'remember everything I have taught you." Well expect to have a short career then mate!_