DRAGONS hooker Cameron McInnes is confident the club’s new-look spine won’t take long to gel despite a shortened preparation due to the Rugby League World Cup.
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Both skipper Gareth Widdop (England) and new recruit Ben Hunt (Australia) are unlikely to report to Wollongong until January having gone deep into the tournament with their respective squads.
It will give them just over a month to prepare for the club’s preseason trial schedule but McInnes believes it won’t take long for the vital combinations to click.
“I think sometimes when performances aren’t going to way they want, people will say ‘oh we haven’t been working together that long’, but it’s just footy, it’s not that hard,’ McInnes said.
“I played with Gaz all last year so I know what he likes to do, and whoever Mary decides to put at fullback is already training here now.
“We all know the type of player Ben Hunt is, he’s just a footballer, you put him at hooker, you put him the halves he’s going to play well.
“We’re not really worried about him settling in because you just need to get him the ball, and playing off the back of the forwards we have, he’s just going to do what he wants.
“It’s just about talking to each other. I’ll find out pretty early how and when he wants the ball, it’s just footy.”
Hunt will arrive on a mammoth six-year multi-million dollar deal to fill the vacant halfback spot, despite finishing last year in the No. 9 with Brisbane.
His form prompted questions as to whether he could play dummy-half at the Dragons, though coach Paul McGregor was quick to knock them on the head.
McInnes envisions Hunt playing at the scrum-base but said the onus was on himself to perform and keep his jumper.
“I’m the hooker but I have to perform and that’s my job, to go out there and keep that spot,” McInnes said.
“Even though he was great at hooker [for Brisbane], and he’s probably in the Australian team because of his ability to play there, he’s a great half and that’s why St George have signed him.
“There’s always the option, he can get into dummy-half and create a spark at times but we’ll have to wait and see. It’s up to the coaches but I’m sure, with the money they’re paying him, he’s coming here to be the number seven.”
It's unlikely McGregor would contemplate shifting McInnes given the 23-year-old’s outstanding first season in the red v, where he went from back-up rake to 80-minute ironman.
It’s something he’s keen to build on in his second season in Wollongong.
“Every player has goals and I definitely want to get better and influence the game a bit more,” he said.
“From where I came from [in 2015], it was great to prove I could play 80 minutes. The next step for me is about high performance for the whole 80.
“Last year I played 80, made my tackles and that sort of thing. The next step for me is finding that energy in attack and impacting the game a bit more and I’m confident I’ll be able to do that.”