PORT Macquarie Sharks will be the main beneficiaries when the state government’s State of Origin road train rolls into town.
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Former New South Wales Origin great Laurie Daley along with Steve Menzies, Tim Brasher and Josh Perry will all cast their eye over the club’s training session on Friday night.
As part of the visit, the quartet will share a presentation on road safety and making positive decisions to avoid the government’s “Knock-On Effect.”
The “Knock-On Effect” campaign focuses on the ripple effects of road trauma on local communities and encourages country drivers to make smarter and safer choices behind the wheel.
Sharks president Jamie Dowse said it was a good opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the greats of the game all for a good cause.
“It’s a good concept and makes young people aware of road safety,” he said.
“We hope to see as many young footballers and family attend; it’s open to everyone, we’re just the hosts.”
With the Origin opener in Melbourne just over two weeks away, Daley said Penrith five-eighth James Maloney needed to be one of the first players picked.
“I don’t think you can go in with a completely different sort of a team; I think you need to be careful,” Daley said.
“You don’t want to be going into Origin with no one that’s been there before.
“You do need experienced players and that’s why James Maloney is a must for New South Wales.
You do need experienced players and that’s why James Maloney is a must for New South Wales.
- Former NSW State of Origin coach Laurie Daley
“You’re going to have a rookie hooker, you could have a rookie fullback and a rookie halfback so for me, James is crucial.”
Daley also felt Taree junior Boyd Cordner was another player who should survive the axe despite coach Brad Fittler’s claims of starting with a clean slate.
Cordner should again captain the Blues.
“Boyd is another of those experienced guys that you just need to have in the team,” he said.
“Boyd is a player that is passionate about playing for his state.
“He’s an aggressive player, he’s a born leader and I’m sure he’ll be there and captain again and he’ll inspire his team.”
Daley said visits to regional areas were important to continue to grow the game and talk it up.
“Of the guys who go on and play NRL at the highest level, a lot are from the country so for us being from the bush it’s good to go and give something back,” he said.
Boyd is a player that is passionate about playing for his state.
- Laurie Daley
“It’s great for us to continue to invest and promote the game because it helps young people play and helps people watch which can only be of benefit to the game.”
The Sharks training session will start at 6pm with a barbecue to be held from 7.30pm at Regional Stadium.
“We’ll be out there to watch, run our eye over a few things and have a chat with the locals and see what we can offer,” Daley said.
“It will be good to see what future stars are out there.”