Dolphins forward Josh Kerr hopes taking a direct approach with new coach Kristian Woolf will help him earn his way back into the side before Round 1.
Kerr started the season with the NRL side and featured in 19 games for the Dolphins last season under Wayne Bennett, but finished the year playing Hostplus Cup with feeder club Redcliffe, playing a key role in their run to the grand final.
However, as much as he enjoyed the opportunity to play with his junior club; Kerr was looking to push his way back into the NRL side, albeit fully aware of the challenge ahead.
“The goal for me is always to try and start,” Kerr said. “The coach probably already has his mind made up who he wants, I don’t know if I am in those plans. I hope I am.
“I love playing rugby league for a living as hard as it is … I’d rather be doing this than digging holes as they say.
“I probably fell away at the back end of last year and slipped up with my professionalism.
“When I was injured, I probably didn’t take rehab as seriously. I was left guessing with a lot of things as well. I like Woolfy in the sense I can go up to him and he will tell me exactly what I need.
“Personally with me, I probably didn’t go up to Wayne enough and ask him what was going on. In my head, I just shut my mouth and tried to work hard and get back in there.
“With Woolfy, I am pretty comfortable asking what I need to do because I know he will give me a direct answer and something I need to focus on.
“By the end of last season, I was playing Cup and as great as it is to play for my junior club, I do have higher aspirations of NRL and hopefully rep football.
“This year that is my goal. I am really loving Woolfy. He is straight forward with me.”
All the players who have been asked about the difference between a Bennett and Woolf pre-season has said the Tonga mentor has pushed them even harder to be fitter than ever, fuelled by disappointment of missing out in finals in their first two seasons.
“You know what Woolfy is like. He is hardnosed. I thought it was going to be a militaristic thing and it kind of is,” Kerr said.
“The boys are saying he has got high standards and that is the best way I can describe it as well, because he comes in and makes it very clear with you. There is no beating around the bush with him. He will tell you exactly what he wants.
“I am not saying other coaches don’t do that, but he is very direct.
“Everyone is on the same page and it is all round effort, everyone jumping from drill to drill and higher intensity. All our fitness is a step up.
“As soon as we hit the fitness drills, I was struggling. They have made them longer and harder than what they were last year.
“If that is anything to go on, we should have a pretty big start to the season.”
Despite the retirement of inaugural captain Jesse Bromwich and the departure to the Super League of Tevita Pantai junior, Kerr will have a fight in his hands to push into the forward rotation with the arrival of prop Daniel Saifiti, second rower Finefeuiaki Kulikefu and the return from injury of Tom Gilbert.
Gilbert: "It feels really nice to be back"
However, outside of the personal challenge for playing positions, Kerr was also hoping he’d be able to go up against representative forward Thomas Flegler who has been sidelined with nerve damage in his shoulder since Round 5.
“I want to be lining up next to Flegs,” Kerr said.
“He is getting flogged and he will tell you too. It is so hard with what he has got because the tackle he did it … it is something you just don’t know. I feel for him because he puts on a brave face too.
“A lot of players dream of playing NRL and you have a nerve and he is still running at training and getting his backside flogged. He looks physically well. The poor fella is battling through it and doing the best he can.
“When he went down with his injury, nobody wants to see that, but that’s not an incentive for me to step up. I need to be going hard and full tilt anyway.
“You want to be putting your best foot forward always.
“I have no idea when he will be back. I know he is working his backside off, but I want to be in that squad anyway.
“If he’s back I want to be lining up right beside him.”
Match: Dolphins v Rabbitohs
Round 1 -
home Team
Dolphins
away Team
Rabbitohs
Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Match broadcasters:
- WatchNRL
