He’s regarded as one of the nicest guys in rugby league and NSW captain Jake Trbojevic responded in kind after being hit with a call from former Blues enforcer Mark Geyer that he should be dropped for game 2 in Melbourne.
Trbojevic, considered by some as a shock skipper call from new coach Michael Maguire, had limited impact for the Blues in the series-opening loss to Queensland, playing just 29 minutes as a result of a reshuffle when Joseph Joseph-Aukuso Sua’ali’i was sent off seven minutes in.
Trbojevic’s lack of presence in a big defeat moved Geyer to call for the Manly star’s axing among a host of player changes.
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“I think we’ve got to have a look at our team from game 1 and I think someone like Jake Trbojevic – who was captain – when you only play him for 25 minutes, I don’t think we can carry a defender,” Geyer said.
Trbojevic not only held his spot for game 2 at the MCG, he remains captain with the full endorsement of Maguire and his teammates.
When Geyer’s claim was put to him in camp, Trbojevic said the only thing he could do was “my best” and that aim would continue, regardless of the critics.
“If people think I shouldn’t be (captain), that’s fine,” he said.
“I’m not going to apologise for doing my best, that’s all I’m going to do. Whether it’s good enough or not, time will tell.“I was maybe a bit stand-offish at the start (of the series) because there are some great players there, great captains. It’s been a better start to the camp for myself (this time around) … hopefully I can just keep building.”
Trbojevic said he wouldn’t object to having his minutes curtailed again in Melbourne if the team needed to change tact because his job was to play whatever role the team needed.
“Any time that you get to play for the Blues is extremely special, it doesn’t really matter about the minutes,” he said.
“I’m just happy to be out there. The way things worked out with being one down (in game 1) and chasing points, it was just the way it worked out.”
Trbojevic beat out club captains Isaah Yeo (Penrith), Cameron Murray (Souths) and Stephen Crichton (Bulldogs) to lead the NSW team.
He said he would lean on them to help “ease” the leadership burden but wouldn’t be changing who he was.
“I’ve got lots of great leaders around me, so that’s a positive,” Trbojevic said.
“If I’m off, there’s so many great club captains out there, great leaders, really good players. That puts me at ease a bit, I don’t have to try and be something I’m not.”
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SLATER’S PLAN TO WREAK HAVOC WITH WALSH
Reece Walsh left the Origin series opener after only eight minutes, but now Maroons coach Billy Slater has a plan for his star fullback to wreak havoc on the Blues.
Walsh was ruled out of Game I after suffering an ugly head knock, with NSW centre Joseph Suaalii sent off in a match-defining moment that divided the rugby league world.
Speaking on NRL360 on Wednesday night, The Courier Mail’s Peter Badel revealed the Queensland coaching staff were “very disappointed” they were unable to unleash their fresh game plan.
Slater reportedly wants Walsh to attack through the middle of the park using inside balls to slice through the Blues’ defence, calling on his time as a player at the Storm.
Slater, alongside the star-studded spine of Cameron Smith and Cooper Cronk, often flew through defences off the back of inside balls across his 323 games.
“I was at Maroons training before Game I guys and one thing I noticed was that they were working on a lot of outside, inside balls,” Badel said.
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“They want to get Reece involved, lurking around the middle of the field, now of course if you watch him for the Broncos he is often quite one-dimensional in the sense he comes in on backline plays.
“His pace is extreme, but the pattern where he attacks to the edges, Billy Slater has another idea to get Walsh lurking around the middle of the field.
“Much to the same vain James Tedesco and Ryan Papenhuyzen (do). The outside, inside balls that are so destructive, that’s where he believes Reece Walsh can unleash his pace.”
Badel also issued a huge warning to NSW, saying: “Don’t watch out for Reece Walsh out wide in Origin Game II, watch out for him in the middle, he is coming for the Blues.”