6:50am Wednesday 7th January 2009
By Dave Craven
Steve McNamara has told his Bulls wingers: All places are up for grabs.
The coach has four widemen battling out for just two spots ahead of Super League XIV.
Last season’s top try-scorer Semi Tadulala should nail down one while new signing Rikki Sheriffe has bagged the No 2 jersey but McNamara says nothing has been decided.
With Kiwi Tame Tupou bidding to prove his worth after a serious knee injury and Dave Halley keen to become a regular himself in 2009, the fight is on.
“We’ve got plenty of competition there,” said McNamara.
“A couple have the ability to play in other positions – Dave Halley showed some stuff at full back last year while Rikki Sheriffe did similar at Quins and Tame can be used as a forward. We’re definitely thinking of doing that again this season.
“But the fact is we have four very good players who can all play those wing positions.
“Now it’s effectively up to them to decide who gets those spots by the way they practice and perform.”
The Odsal chief is excited by what each can bring to the table.
Tupou, in particular, is looking for a big campaign after struggling with form and fitness last time around.
“Tame had a very good start to his Bulls career, scoring ten tries in his first ten games,” said McNamara.
“But by his own admission he was frustrated last year and disappointing, something he is keen to put right now. He’s still recovering from what was a big knee injury but is giving us all the right signals about what he’ll do when he gets that chance.”
Conversely, Tadulala, who reported back for training on Saturday after his World Cup exploits with Tonga, returned 23 tries in 2008 but McNamara believes he can deliver more.
“Scoring tries is one thing but preventing tries is the other,” he said.
“People playing in those wing positions for us have some really tough defensive decisions to make and it is a very important role for the team.
“Semi made some great ones last year but also some not so great and he’s looking to improve his all-round game.
“He certainly carries well for us and is a little like Tevita Vaikona in that respect with his strength and power.
“That takes it out of the opposition and yardage is vital, especially early in the season when we might be a front-rower down.
“That goes for everyone though and we’ll be looking for sizeable work-rates from our wingers.”
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