Ian ConstantineGreen Machine’s bolter for Blues Jersey
May 7th 2008 04:45
NRL.com
A master class from Blues legends Laurie Daley, Paul McGregor and Steve Roach has inspired Raiders centre Joel Monaghan to push his claims for a maiden NSW Wizard Blues jersey.
After a week in camp with the VB Gold Country Origin team, Monaghan is looking for a dominant display against his former team-mates when the Raiders and Roosters clash at the Sydney Football Stadium at 5.30pm on Saturday night.
“It was a great week, being involved with the coaches and players of that calibre was outstanding,” he said.
“We had a great coaching staff there, Paul McGregor was doing a lot with the backs and I learned a lot from him, and when you have the calibre of those guys coaching you take out a lot out from it.”
Monaghan has been one of the hardest working players at the Raiders this year and is right in contention for Origin selection.
He has made the third most tackles (155), fourth most runs (70) and fourth most running metres (543) for the Raiders this year.
“There are a lot of great players in the outside backs that are eligible for a Blues jersey, that’s out of my control,” he said.
“The only thing I can control is how I play, so I will be doing my best against the Roosters and we will see what happens.
“If I did end up getting picked it would be massive.
“It is every boy’s dream as a kid to play State of Origin. It would be awesome to get a chance to play in one.”
Monaghan has impressed since returning to the Raiders in 2008 after three years at the Roosters and the Tuggeranong junior has quickly become a key figure in the Green Machine’s push for a finals berth.
“We were unlucky against Melbourne and then we lost by only eight points against the Warriors,” he said.
“If we win those games we are right up there at the top of the ladder.
“This is a very important game for both sides.
“We have the Roosters into Souths into a bye, so we are working on this three-week block.
“It is going to be a massive game, they play well at home so it’s going to be very tough.
“I think they have about five players backing up from the Test match, but they have a lot of depth.”
The Roosters are sitting in fifth place, just two points clear of the Raiders in 11th.
Click Here for Ticket Information
Click Here for State of Origin Tickets
A master class from Blues legends Laurie Daley, Paul McGregor and Steve Roach has inspired Raiders centre Joel Monaghan to push his claims for a maiden NSW Wizard Blues jersey.
After a week in camp with the VB Gold Country Origin team, Monaghan is looking for a dominant display against his former team-mates when the Raiders and Roosters clash at the Sydney Football Stadium at 5.30pm on Saturday night.
“It was a great week, being involved with the coaches and players of that calibre was outstanding,” he said.
“We had a great coaching staff there, Paul McGregor was doing a lot with the backs and I learned a lot from him, and when you have the calibre of those guys coaching you take out a lot out from it.”
Monaghan has been one of the hardest working players at the Raiders this year and is right in contention for Origin selection.
He has made the third most tackles (155), fourth most runs (70) and fourth most running metres (543) for the Raiders this year.
“There are a lot of great players in the outside backs that are eligible for a Blues jersey, that’s out of my control,” he said.
“The only thing I can control is how I play, so I will be doing my best against the Roosters and we will see what happens.
“If I did end up getting picked it would be massive.
“It is every boy’s dream as a kid to play State of Origin. It would be awesome to get a chance to play in one.”
Monaghan has impressed since returning to the Raiders in 2008 after three years at the Roosters and the Tuggeranong junior has quickly become a key figure in the Green Machine’s push for a finals berth.
“We were unlucky against Melbourne and then we lost by only eight points against the Warriors,” he said.
“If we win those games we are right up there at the top of the ladder.
“This is a very important game for both sides.
“We have the Roosters into Souths into a bye, so we are working on this three-week block.
“It is going to be a massive game, they play well at home so it’s going to be very tough.
“I think they have about five players backing up from the Test match, but they have a lot of depth.”
The Roosters are sitting in fifth place, just two points clear of the Raiders in 11th.
Click Here for Ticket Information
Click Here for State of Origin Tickets
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