RUGBY LEAGUE
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Hours of watching new teammate Gareth Widdop helped him fill Josh Dugan's sizeable shoes capably but Adam Quinlan is none the wiser about what to expect from Widdop's fellow English international Sam Tomkins.
Unsure if he'd even be granted a full-time contract 18 months ago, the livewire fullback filled the breach left by Dugan's injury and now has to outpoint the Warriors' No 1 gun.
"I didn't see any of [Tomkins' first] game [in the NRL]," Quinlan said ahead of St George Illawarra's clash with the Warriors at Eden Park on Saturday.
"I'm sure we'll go through the video and see where we need to be to stop [his threat].
"I'm not sure if we will cross paths but I'm sure we need to watch out for him. He's a class player and an international, so we need to be defensively on our game to stop him."
The same could be said for the Warriors' big men, who will be on red alert for the threat posed by Quinlan after his starring role in the Dragons' round one success over the Tigers.
Quinlan combined with great effect through the middle as Widdop pulled the strings and the 21-year-old confessed to watching ample footage of the former Storm star on television.
"Watching him you can learn a bit about his game and training with him through the preseason you learn a lot," Quinlan said.
"He helps me out a lot as well, telling me what he likes to do, where I should be and what I can work on. It was very exciting to play alongside him ... as it was Witty [Michael Witt] who has been around the game a long time. It was awesome to be a part of it."
The Culburra junior is realistic enough to know he's only warming the seat for Dugan, whose return from a knee injury is expected in round five.
He hasn't shelved hopes of retaining a spot in the top 17 once the Dragons' State Of Origin custodian returns.