Mitch Rein
RUGBY LEAGUE
If Mitch Rein ever wonders what it takes for a crafty hooker to scale rugby league's representative mountain, he won't need to look far for inspiration.
Drafted into a NSW Origin Emerging Blues camp in January, the 22-year-old is clearly on Laurie Daley's radar should first choice Blues rake Robbie Farah succumb to injury or form woes.
Perhaps Daley will get no better guide as to Rein's suitability when the workaholic hooker auditions for higher honours against a man who has achieved just about all there is to in the game at AAMI Park tomorrow.
Melbourne Storm spark plug Cameron Smith's extensive CV couldn't be more glowing: Australian and Queensland captain, Dally M medal winner, premiership skipper, multiple NRL All-Star and former Golden Boot winner - just for good measure.
"It's always good to test yourself against the best teams and the best players," Rein told the Mercury ahead of the Dragons' round one blockbuster.
"He's one of the best players in the game. I'm definitely looking forward to it.
"I enjoyed playing against him last year; it was a bit of a test, it would be good to come up against him again and see what he does with his team.
"He gets them around the paddock so well every time I watch him in action first hand."
But it won't just be Rein, despite frequently topping tackle counts and featuring in all 24 matches for the Dragons last year, who will be charged with single-handedly shackling the influential Smith.
"As a team, we've done a lot of work on all their players," Rein said.
"We've been doing a lot of work at training, trying to nullify their attack and what they do. We're ready to go and I'm confident we've done enough in training as a team to stop them with their good players.
"We've been training really well this week and, as everyone says, it's gone what happened last year. It's just like any other game for us, really, the first game of the season, but I can't wait to really get out there."
If Rein faces a baptism of fire against Smith and co. on their home patch, rejuvenated centre Chase Stanley will be forgiven for feeling more than a few nerves on a belated return to the southern capital.
Having won the nod over Daniel Vidot for the contentious right centre spot, Stanley will return to AAMI Park for the first time in Dragons' colours since rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament while playing for the Storm in round one of the 2011 season.
It abruptly ended an injury-riddled, eight-game, two-year stint at the Storm before the talented Kiwi international signed on for a second coming at the Dragons.
"When he went into that round-one game with Melbourne his knee was already a bit sore and he probably shouldn't have gone out there," said Dragons winger Jason Nightingale, who will play outside Stanley on St George Illawarra's right edge.
"But the way he's bounced back, he's got all his strength back and as much as their genetics let them down occasionally when it comes to injury, they're also pretty good healers.
"Chase's leg is back to full strength, he's had a shoulder reco and those sort of things only make you stronger . . ."