Source :- THE AGE NEWS
Mark Nawaqanitawase’s parting gift to rugby league might just be giving Jack Bostock the confidence to take risks, helping the three-try Australian hero become arguably the best winger in the game – even though he is a centre at club level.
Kangaroos debutant Bostock scored a hat-trick on Thursday against New Zealand in the World Cup opener, including two tries from kicks and an 80m intercept.
But Bostock’s bold offload with the game on the line, which allowed Reece Walsh to work his magic and score a long-range try, was the kind of all-or-nothing play Nawaqanitawase became known for.
Nawaqanitawase was in the Kangaroos dressing room after the win over the Kiwis, and coach Kevin Walters said: “Once you’re a Kangaroo, you are always a Kangaroo. So you’re always welcome.”
Bostock spent time with Nawaqanitawase while in camp with NSW for Origin III, and made a point of watching how he went about his business and asking the cross-code star questions.
“Mark is an off-the-cuff player – he sees things and then does it – it’s like he’s playing backyard footy at times, which was always great to see,” Bostock said.
“It’s more about taking those risks, which is what I took from him. He’d say when you do it [take risks] at training, it’s not risky, and when you do it on the field and it comes off, it’s good for everyone to watch and your teammates. He was happy to flirt on that edge of making a mistake or coming up with a big play. Most of the time he came up with the big play.”
Nawaqanitawase’s exit from the NRL will ignite the debate about who is the game’s best winger, and Bostock will have plenty of admirers, even though he only plays there at representative level.
Penrith’s Brian To’o is always in the conversation, so is Xavier Coates, who missed this season with injury, but Bostock is among the best attacking the high ball and a strong kick returner.
Centre, however, is where he sees himself in club land, not just next year, but in 2028 and beyond, wherever he may be playing by then.
When asked about being the best winger, Bostock laughed and said: “That would be Selwyn Cobbo. When it comes to rep footy, I’m happy to play on the wing, but with club footy, I had a good season at centre, and given it was my first year, I know I can learn a lot more and improve in that role.
“I’ve been happy with chasing kicks and attacking them, and trying to make it a contest. It’s been a big thing that has come into the game this year. It’s something I’ve practised the last few years. Xavier Coates is the best at it in the comp before he got injured.”
Walters said Bostock’s debut was the best he had seen by a player wearing the green and gold.
“It was game-changing what he did for us on Thursday night – he’s a special player,” Walters said.
The Kangaroos gathered for camp in Brisbane on Sunday, with James Tedesco, Bradman Best and Sam Walker all expected to get game time against Fiji next Sunday after missing out on the New Zealand epic.
Walters admitted Latrell Mitchell was kept quiet against the Kiwis, but revealed there was a good reason.
“He was crook. He was pretty ill and probably shouldn’t have played,” Walters said. “He had the flu and a virus. A couple of them got struck down by it, but he camouflaged it a bit, and that’s the person he is.
“He can get better, he knows that, and the best thing is we got through without his influence on the game. He’ll be better for the next one.”
Bostock blamed himself for arriving in camp ill and passing it on to his left centre.
Meanwhile, Bostock was giving little away about his contract situation. Should he go to November 1 without extending his deal at the Dolphins, he is sure to attract interest, including from his junior club, St George Illawarra.
“Obviously [the Illawarra region] is home and where my parents live, but it won’t do too much [in influencing my decision]. It will always be there, and I can always go back there after footy,” Bostock said.
