Knights coach excited as star halves set to unite
Melissa Woods |
Incoming Newcastle coach Justin Holbrook is licking his lips at getting star recruit Dylan Brown and Fletcher Sharpe on the field together as the young gun nears a return to full training.
On Tuesday, Holbrook oversaw his first training session since taking over as Knights coach from Adam O’Brien.
While he didn’t have senior players available – including internationals such as playmaker Brown, who’s with New Zealand preparing for the Pacific Championship final – Holbrook was happy with that he saw.
“We got the players back in yesterday for some testing and stuff, but to be back out on the training field finally, yeah, it feels great to be out there,” Holbrook said.
“The younger fellas, I love the enthusiasm of them. They were 100 mile an hour in everything they did, and it was great to have Fletcher back running freely, and that’s exciting for us.”
Sharpe, 21, suffered a ruptured spleen and a lacerated kidney after landing heavily on a ball while playing in Perth against the Dolphins in June.
While he’s making strides at training, he hasn’t resumed full contact but Holbrook said he would be right for round one next year.
“He’ll be right to play. Next month he’s got to see the doc again and get the clearance for contact but in the next three to four weeks he’ll be able to do a lot of the running and skill stuff, just avoid the contact,” the former Gold Coast coach said.
“It’s a huge injury, long recovery, but in terms of what we saw today he looked as fast and agile as ever, which is the real strength of his game, and I’m really excited to be fortunate enough to be coaching a player like that.”
Holbrook has also been keeping a close eye on Brown, who has joined Newcastle on a lucrative long-term deal from Parramatta and felt he had similar strengths to Sharpe.
He described the 25-year-old’s performance for the Kiwis as “fantastic”.
“You look at the Pacific Test, how well Dylan Brown’s been playing, just the running game of players now is a big part of our game, and those two are excellent at it.”
Holbrook said he still needed to decide on his spine but expected Brown and Sharpe to line up in the halves.
“There’s no doubt they’re all going to fit in – Fletcher Sharp’s electrifying … just such a well-balanced runner that he can play anywhere.
“You can fit him in anywhere, preferably in the halves, but looking forward to getting them all back on deck and we will work it out over time.”
Sharpe admitted he had been “rocked” by the injury after initially being taken off for an HIA before playing out the match.
“It’s been a little bit of a journey, but being back on the field today was all worth it,” the local product said.
“It wasn’t a great outcome, but I’m out the other side now and ready to go.
“It rocks you a little bit, but I haven’t really thought too much about it after it.
“I like to stay in the present and keep moving forward, and I feel like I’ve made the right steps. I’m in a good headspace where I’m ready to get back into footy.”
AAP
