RUGBY LEAGUE
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Dapto star Blake Wallace has welcomed a return to the playmaking hot seat ahead of the Canaries clash with Thirroul on Saturday.
Wallace, who has returned to Dapto this season after a couple of years in the Queensland Cup, will wear the No 7 on Saturday after playing the first three games at fullback.
The switch has been forced on coach Chris Leikvoll after clever hooker Dean Janda was injured in the opening minutes of Dapto's 42-18 loss to Collegians last week.
Losing Janda, who had been among the Canaries best in two straight wins to open the season, had a clear effect on his side against the Dogs, who looked disjointed in attack.
"Losing Dean threw us off a bit [against Collies]," Wallace said.
"Jakey Hawkins can play there but we hadn't really trained with him there.
"Janda's been one of our better players at the start of the season. What he adds to our pack and getting the boys around the park is really good, so to lose him early the way we did threw us out of whack.
"We assessed it and we all know what we did wrong. We're just looking to bounce back against Thirroul which is obviously a tough game."
Hawkins will shift from halfback to hooker for the clash with the defending premiers.
Wallace moves into the halves where he has played the bulk of his football and where he sparked a mini revival against Collies last start
"I prefer to play in the halves anyway," he said.
"I've always been a half and I've only played a handful of games at fullback in the past few years but never any more than two or three games. To get back in there is good for me and hopefully I can get the boys around the park and do a job for them.
"I haven't really run in the halves too much at training this year because everyone's been fit but hopefully with a week's preparation I'll be a lot better for it."
The recruitment of a Dapto junior done good elsewhere was another coup for Leikvoll, who has made bringing local products home a major priority of his coaching tenure.
Wallace said he's enjoyed being back in the colours after three seasons in Rockhampton with the Central Queensland Capitals.
"I'm a Dapto junior and it's great to back at the junior club and I'm really enjoying my footy there at the moment," Wallace said.
"I was actually [current captain] Mick Murphy's ball boy back in the day, so it's pretty fun to be running around next to him. There's a few other guys I played juniors with running around as well, so it's good to be back around them and playing footy with the boys."
In the other Saturday match Helensburgh will host Wests at Rex Jackson Oval looking to avenge a flogging at the hands of the Devils on their home patch in the penultimate round last year.