ManlyBacker
Winging it
He's the lunatic every State of Origin team needs.
Manly's Anthony Watmough returns to the NSW team for Origin II - angry, wild-eyed and ready to rip into anything wearing maroon.
The all-talking, all-action back-rower is tailor-made for Origin, even if he wears a 'hard to handle' reputation off the field.
Origin is littered with players who play their football - and live life - on the edge.
Think Les Boyd, Mark Carroll and Mark Geyer for the Blues.
On the other side, Queensland wildmen Carl Webb, Gorden Tallis and Greg Dowling boasted triggers shorter than a Cane Toad's IQ.
Watmough struts around the place with two imaginary watermelons under his arms and a chip bigger than the Palm Beach headland on both shoulders.
He refused to talk to the media upon arrival in Origin camp, still bitter about the perceived hard time he was given following his latest off-field indiscretion.
But the more Watmough thinks the world is against him, the better he seems to play.
"He's got a bit of craziness about him. I think that's why he's been so successful in the past at Origin level," NSW team-mate Greg Bird said of Watmough.
"He's aggressive and leaves 100 percent of his effort out on the field."
"That's what you want."
"I'm sure he was disappointed to miss out on Game 1 and he's got a point to prove for Game 2."
Blues skipper Paul Gallen may not be cut from exactly the same cloth as Watmough but they share the same tailor.
"Choc's form at club level has been great and he's always performed for Australia and NSW," Gallen said
"He's the type of guy we need around camp."
"He's a good, fun bloke and he's going to certainly liven things up."
"He is one of the fastest players around the ruck with his play-the-ball speed and he's a good defender."
"It's a must-win game so we'll get out there and rip in and he's going to be great for us in that regard."
Gallen, the world's best lock, has been moved to the front-row as part of Ricky Stuart's revolutionary plan to fill his pack with back-rowers.
The Blues skipper is unfazed about the change.
"I play tight in most games, especially in rep games. For Australia in the Anzac Test I played front-row for 40 minutes," Gallen pointed out.
"It's nothing new to me and I'm looking forward to the challenge against two of the best props (Matt Scott and Petero Civoniceva) in the world."
http://www.sportal.com.au/league-news-display/watmough-gives-blues-edge-125361
Manly's Anthony Watmough returns to the NSW team for Origin II - angry, wild-eyed and ready to rip into anything wearing maroon.
The all-talking, all-action back-rower is tailor-made for Origin, even if he wears a 'hard to handle' reputation off the field.
Origin is littered with players who play their football - and live life - on the edge.
Think Les Boyd, Mark Carroll and Mark Geyer for the Blues.
On the other side, Queensland wildmen Carl Webb, Gorden Tallis and Greg Dowling boasted triggers shorter than a Cane Toad's IQ.
Watmough struts around the place with two imaginary watermelons under his arms and a chip bigger than the Palm Beach headland on both shoulders.
He refused to talk to the media upon arrival in Origin camp, still bitter about the perceived hard time he was given following his latest off-field indiscretion.
But the more Watmough thinks the world is against him, the better he seems to play.
"He's got a bit of craziness about him. I think that's why he's been so successful in the past at Origin level," NSW team-mate Greg Bird said of Watmough.
"He's aggressive and leaves 100 percent of his effort out on the field."
"That's what you want."
"I'm sure he was disappointed to miss out on Game 1 and he's got a point to prove for Game 2."
Blues skipper Paul Gallen may not be cut from exactly the same cloth as Watmough but they share the same tailor.
"Choc's form at club level has been great and he's always performed for Australia and NSW," Gallen said
"He's the type of guy we need around camp."
"He's a good, fun bloke and he's going to certainly liven things up."
"He is one of the fastest players around the ruck with his play-the-ball speed and he's a good defender."
"It's a must-win game so we'll get out there and rip in and he's going to be great for us in that regard."
Gallen, the world's best lock, has been moved to the front-row as part of Ricky Stuart's revolutionary plan to fill his pack with back-rowers.
The Blues skipper is unfazed about the change.
"I play tight in most games, especially in rep games. For Australia in the Anzac Test I played front-row for 40 minutes," Gallen pointed out.
"It's nothing new to me and I'm looking forward to the challenge against two of the best props (Matt Scott and Petero Civoniceva) in the world."
http://www.sportal.com.au/league-news-display/watmough-gives-blues-edge-125361
