Play-off war for Aussie pals
Published Date:
19 September 2008
Two Australian greats – and former team-mates – go head to head in France tonight.
But Clint Greenshields and Wigan skipper Trent Barrett, one-time colleagues at St George-Illawarra Dragons in the NRL Premiership, will
hardly be handing out the big hugs in Perpignan.
There will be no love lost as the two deadly rivals set out to steer their respective sides through to the semi-finals of the Grand Final play-offs and the cusp of a big night out at Old Trafford.
Greenshields, Dragons' form full-back, has chucked down the gauntlet already.
He insists the arrival of the play-offs will have Dragons breathing fire after the final furlong of the regular Super League season ended up more like a light canter for Catalans, the French side secure in third place from the middle of last month.
Clintshields said: "Personally I may have gone in under-prepared for the last couple of Super League games.
"I was looking forward to the play-offs and that may have been the case with the other guys as well.
"But I think everyone will turn up with their heads switched on from now on and that's the way it's got to be all the way to the finals if we can make it.
"I think everyone has left the regular Super League competition behind.
"This is the start of a whole new ball game."
Dragons were emphatic 46-8 winners over Warrington in the first elimination play-off game at the Stade Gilbert Brutus last Saturday.
Greenshields – who was this week named in the 2008 Super League Dream Team – put their recent patchy form behind them to run Wolves ragged, with winger Justin Murphy scoring four of their tries.
Murphy's reward for his four-try feat is likely to come in the form of a new contract for 2009, as long as he is successful in his application for French nationality.
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The full article contains 332 words and appears in Wigan Evening Post newspaper.
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Last Updated:
19 September 2008 3:37 PM
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Source:
Wigan Evening Post
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Location:
Wigan