Calm Kearney boosts Mortimer - Sports News - Fanatics - the world's biggest events

Calm Kearney boosts Mortimer

Ian McCullough 03/04/2011 01:39:54 PM Comments (0)

Daniel Mortimer believes the calm approach of coach Stephen Kearney was a major factor in Parramatta's come-from-behind 22-20 win over North Queensland on Saturday.

Luke Burt's try, four minutes from time, ensured his side avoided a third successive defeat and Mortimer admits a loss would have heaped more pressure on the team.

The Eels came from behind three times to take the points and Mortimer revealed Kearney's methodical style sits well with him and the players.

"The coach hasn't given us a spray yet, even when we may have deserved it, he is pretty calm and gets his message across to us and we have a lot of respect for him," Mortimer told AAP.

"I like that approach, he keeps things simple and we work hard in training on certain things that he wants us to bring into our game. We are not there yet but I think we are heading in the right direction.

"This was a very big win for us because had we lost it would have been really hard to take.

"The best wins are the ones where you have to battle hard and then come away with the points, but with players like Hindy (Nathan Hindmarsh) in your side producing try-saving tackles it inspires you."

Hindmarsh, who recently clocked up 10,000 tackles in Parramatta colours, produced two more to prevent certain tries, holding up both Willie Tonga and Glenn Hall millimetres from the line.

Mortimer said the skipper's influence on the team is huge but it was his actions that speak louder than his words.

"Hindy hasn't trained this week but he goes out onto the field and does things that lift the whole side, he has been doing it for years," Mortimer said.

The 22-year-old also paid tribute to Burt, who grabbed two four-pointers to usurp Brett Kenny as the club's record try-scorer.

"Burty is the consummate professional and when you see the way he looks after himself you can see why he has been around for so long," he said.

"He won the game for us tonight with a real pressure kick, but he does it without any fuss and he is someone all of us young players look up to."

Hindmarsh also paid tribute to close friend Burt and played down his role in stopping Hall with one of the plays of the season.

"The goal he kicked was just awesome, he doesn't get the wraps he deserves," said Hindmarsh.

"He's a bit of a quiet achiever, so it's good to see him get some accolades.

"I ended up in a position where I had a crack at the ball, I wasn't sure whether to try and hold on to the ball or flick it back to him.

"I was thinking when I grabbed it, 'shit, I may be in trouble here' ... but Ben Smith dived on quickly thankfully to help me."

Brought to you by AAP AAP © 2024 AAP

0 Comments about this article

Post a comment about this article

Please sign in to leave a comment.
Becoming a member is free and easy, sign up here.

« All sports news