Falling Off The Pace

Newcastle Herald

Wednesday July 25, 2007

ROBERT DILLON RUGBY LEAGUE

NEWCASTLE Knights coach Brian Smith

is concerned that Daniel Abraham has

lost his pace - possibly forever - but will

consider recalling the injury-plagued utility

for Saturday's crunch game with New

Zealand Warriors in Auckland.

Abraham, who was disappointed when

Smith ordered him to stand down from last

week's 20-17 loss to Sydney Roosters, was

named yesterday as Newcastle's 18th man

for the trans-Tasman trip.

But the coach said doubts over Test

forward Steve Simpson (knee) and prop

Adam Woolnough (virus) may mean

Abraham will be required in Auckland.

A two-time Country Origin representative

and member of Newcastle's 2001 grand

fi nal team, Abraham has appeared in only

31 of a possible 92 games since the start of

the 2004 season, after twice breaking his

right ankle and also snapping the tibia and

fi bula in the same hexed leg.

The luckless 26-year-old was sidelined

for eight games earlier in the season after

surgery to remove a screw in his ankle,

but he played 69 minutes in the back row

against South Sydney in his comeback

match, followed by two 80-minute efforts

as fi ve-eighth against Parramatta and

Melbourne.

But after the 44-0 loss to Melbourne,

Smith told Abraham to take the week off

and rejected his request to play in Premier

League.

"We just left him out ? 18th man," Smith

said yesterday.

"He didn't play particularly well the week

before, so we gave him the chance to

have a good think about it and do a bit of

special training . . . he was disappointed.

He wanted to play.

"But he understood that what we were

doing is what we thought was the right

thing for him."

Asked if Abraham was still struggling

with his ankle, Smith replied:

"I think speed's an issue.

"It could just be that he needs

another off-season to get himself

back to where he was.

"It's a crystal ball-type thing, that one.

It could also be that he's not going to get

it [his speed] back, that he?s not going to

get it back enough to show what he's really

capable of.

"Everybody knows that he's got a good

footy brain, good hands, he's a good

team player and all that sort of stuff. His

versatility counts for a bit as well.

"But the physical aspects of his game

are not where they need to be at this point

in time."

Abraham, off contract at season's end

and weighing up an incentive-based offer

to stay with the Knights, agreed yesterday

that injuries had taken an edge off his pace.

"I guess missing all that training [this

season], I'm just getting back to where I

was before I hurt my ankle," he said.

"I wouldn't say I was as fast or as

mobile as I was before I hurt it. But that's

something I'm working on building up at

the moment.

"It's a slow process. If you overdo it, you

end up back at square one."

He said he was "pretty disappointed"

with Smith"s decision to stand him down

last weekend.

Continued Page 78

"I think speed's

an issue . . . the

physical aspects of

his game are not

where they need

to be at this point

in time."

- BRIAN SMITH

Abes in need of quick solution

From Page 80

'I didn't really think I needed a rest," he said.

"I'd only been back for a month after I spent eight weeks out, so it wasn't through wear and tear.

"But at the end of the day he's got the final call and I've just got to get over it and think about this week, whether it's in first grade or reserve grade."

Smith was confident last week's selection setback would bring out the best in Abraham.

"He was great at training today," Smith said.

"He's looking like he has reacted how we wanted him to react in a positive way. More than likely, he'll get a chance this weekend.

"We decided last weekend was an opportune time for him to replenish himself.

"It could well be that this [Saturday] is the type of game he'll do well in.

"You look at the best games that Abes has played for us this year, most of them have been in the wet. That could come into account over there this week."

Knights officials have offered Abraham a one-season deal with an option, weighted in their favour, for a second season.

He said he had also attracted interest, but no firm offers, from rival clubs.

"I'd have to play pretty much all of next season to earn decent money [with the Knights]," he said.

"If you were a young bloke coming up, you'd probably jump at it. But with a young family and a mortgage, things become a little bit more complicated.

"If I can get back on the field and play some decent footy, we might be able to come to an arrangement that suits both parties. But at the moment things have come to a standstill."

© 2007 Newcastle Herald

Back to News Index | Back to Home