Melbourne coach Tony McGahan expects high-profile recruit Marika Koroibete to be better in his second Super Rugby outing, but urged his Rebels teammates to do more to help the former star rugby league winger.
Ex-Storm flyer Koroibete and the Rebels come off the bye to host the unbeaten Chiefs in another tough assignment at AAMI Park on Friday night.
After leaking 127 points in their opening two matches, they are desperate to win back some respect.
Koroibete, who battled a pre-season knee injury, had an unhappy debut against reigning champions Hurricanes but with a 71-6 scoreline there was little for any Rebel to smile about.
“He was below where he needed to be,” McGahan said.
“That’s him coming back from four weeks out but he’s two weeks down the track now and he will be infinitely better and that’s been displayed on the training pitch.”
Koroibete, who played rugby as a schoolboy in Fiji, looked awkward defensively and did little in attack, but McGahan said his teammates were as much responsible for the below-par showing.
“It’s difficult for anyone to play in an outside back position when you’re getting back-foot ball and you’ve got three or four players running at you at any point in time,” McGahan said.
“We expect him to slowly get back to some of the form that he’s displayed and we’re confident that he will.”
Koroibete’s cause may be helped with the first appearance of the year of fellow speedster Sefa Naivalu after overcoming a lingering illness.
The pair played together as juniors.
With Test backrower/lock Lopeti Timani sidelined with a knee injury, Culum Retallick gets his first start of the season, opposing his cousin All Black Brodie Retallick, who has been named in the Chiefs line-up.
McGahan wanted the team to deliver a performance they could “hang their hat on”.
He said with each Australian team, apart from the Rebels, only banking one win from their three games, the season was far from a lost cause.
“We’ve trained really well and have got some good work done and have some players who are starting to get back to full fitness,” McGahan said.
“We want something to build on and with 13 games to go, there’s still a long season.”
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