Kite coach Anthony Griffin is busy preparing his players to change things in 2021 after finishing 12th last season.
He needs his key players like Ben Hunt, Corey Norman, Cameron McInnes and Matt Dufty to be in brand new shape. McInnes and Dufty shouldn’t be a problem considering they were two of the Red V’s most enduring in 2020. But Hunt and Norman will be desperate to get their games back on track after a poor season.
Griffin could be the man who unlocks the form of the subpar duo. Both have done well under Griffin with the Broncos and he hopes they can get back to the same shape.
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But even though Griffin has worked with Hunt and Norman before and knows what they’re capable of, he says they aren’t a secure lock for pairing the halves.
In fact, there are two very skilled players in Adam Clune and Jayden Sullivan who are pushing for a starting spot.
“With all the positions at the moment, they are open to anyone who wants them and who will give the team the most and perform in the off-season,” he said The big sports breakfast from Sky Sports Radio.
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Griffin is faced with an interesting decision whether to keep Hunt as a halfback or to turn him into a whore for good. Former Dragons manager Paul McGregor Hunt switched to Hooker mid-season and played some of his best games. However, the 30-year-old has publicly admitted that he wants to play halfback.
While Griffin didn’t give a definitive answer on where Hunt will be playing, he did note that he’s half a bit more than a whore.
“Ben is a good seven who can play nine. He can do it at both ends and he has done it at both ends in representative football, ”said Griffin.
“He’s a halfback who played soccer in the final, he played the grand final, he played at Origin level.
“He’s coming to a part of his career where he’s now 30. To truly fulfill his career, it’s important that he play his best football for the next two or three years.”
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The pressure on Norman, who has not been at his best for some time, has increased. Griffin is optimistic that Norman will transform under his watch, saying the playmaker has done everything right so far in the preseason.
“There is still a lot of potential for Corey Norman but in the end it comes down to what Corey wants to do with his career and he has the opportunity to do some really good things with the club this year.” he said.
“He’s a really good player … but by his own account he’s not where he needed to be in recent years.
“I think the key for Corey is that he worked really hard, prepared himself well, and was probably guilty of not doing that.
“In his first month since I’ve been here, he was spot on. My focus with him is that he doesn’t cut corners, works very hard and puts the team first. “
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The halves aren’t the only huge selection Griffin has to make. New recruit Jack Bird is expected to be fit in time for the start of the season after sustaining an ACL injury last year.
The 25-year-old has spent much of his career at the centers – including the 2016 grand final with the Sharks. He’s also played a number of eight eight games and a few for the full-back.
However, Griffin announced that he will bring Bird back through the second row.
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“(Bird) has obviously been frustrated in the last few years he’s had with his body,” Griffin said.
“He’s got about a month left in his rehab, but he’s got a real spring in his crotch.
“We did a heavy conditioning session yesterday and he whipped her, he’s just really hungry for him, Jack. Hopefully he will join the main group in mid-January and be ready to take the exams.
“I think the thing with Jack right now is, the simpler the better. We could play him in the back row where he doesn’t have that dynamic one-on-one movement both offensively and defensively at the start of his football, so he just gets in there and gets dirty and gets a few stretches, does a few Duels, get some confidence in his knees.
“Whatever is best for the team and Jack after that, we’ll sort it out.”
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No matter who is playing, where Griffin is aware of the task ahead. The proud club expects success and knows that 12th place last season was just not good enough.
But in any case, things are looking good. Griffin was impressed with the efforts his players made during the first three weeks of the preseason.
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“They have been in the last four places for the last few years so there must be some changes,” he said.
“There will probably be a few more changes in the squad, but in general it is fair to say that we underperformed.
“That was a big focus in the first few weeks, but their attitude was very good, especially some of the older people in the group like (Tariq) Sims and Norman, and I was really impressed with the young brigade.
“We have a really good younger group and everything was very positive.”
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