DRAGONS coach Paul McGregor will have to consult the tape of his side’s two trial performances before settling on a No. 7 for round one with none of the candidates making a compelling case in Sunday’s Charity Shield clash.
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Veteran Josh McCrone produced a solid, if not spectacular, first 40 minutes before being replaced by young gun Jai Field whose opportunities proved limited in a lop-sided second half.
Kurt Mann and Shaun Nona are the other contenders but neither featured in the halves against the Rabbitohs indicating that the battle to partner Gareth Widdop come round one is now a race in two.
Field first turned heads with a standout effort in the Auckland Nines but his tenders years and slight build raise questions over whether he’s ready for the rigours of a full NRL season.
McCrone was McGregor’s preferred option last season when regular half Benji Marshall battled injury and his ability to play dummy-half could give McGregor the option of squeezing them both into his 17.
“I’ve got a week to [make the decision] so I’ll have a good look at the video and talk to a few of our leaders and look at what different players bring to the team and what the team needs for round one,” McGregor said.
“They’re two very different players. Josh is a tradesman, a seasoned player with good experience and Jai’s an emerging exciting young talent. When he gets the ball in his hands he’s quite special.
“We’ll just have a look at it over the next week or 10 days to work out which one will be there or whether they’ll both be in the 17.”