St George Illawarra playmaker Jayden Sullivan feels he has let under-pressure coach Anthony Griffin down despite guiding the Dragons to within a sliver of victory in his first NRL game for six weeks.
Staring down the possibility of a fifth consecutive defeat, Griffin rang the changes for the Magic Round clash against the last-placed Wests Tigers, a game that loomed as crucial to his future as coach.
Griffin dropped Zac Lomax from the centres and recalled Sullivan, who came into the halves midway through the first half and pushed Ben Hunt to hooker – the position he plays at State of Origin level.
Sullivan, 21, was the Dragons’ best player, scoring two tries by selling dummies to Tigers recruit Isaiah Papali’i and scything through the defence.
Jayden Sullivan. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
But the Dragons still fell 18-16, unable to breach the Tigers’ defence despite Mikaele Ravalawa’s last-minute chance on the right wing.
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“Individually, I feel like I went alright but the main thing was to win,” Sullivan said.
“Hook (Griffin) gave me a job to do and that was just to play footy and I felt like I let the team down.
“At the end, I kicked a seven-tackle set that probably changed the game and probably got them home.”
Sullivan started the season at five-eighth but lost his spot to Talatau Amone after the hefty round-four loss to Cronulla and began lining up for the Dragons’ NSW Cup side.
“I love Hook, he is brutally honest,” Sullivan said.
“The first three games I played this year, he told me to my face that that’s not how I play footy and sent me back to reserve grade.
“Hook just gave me a few goals to focus on, my kicking game and my defence and just being energetic around the ball and running the ball with purpose.
“Hook put trust in me to play this week and I feel like I let him down at the end.”
Griffin was pleased with the outcome of his plan to inject Sullivan off the bench but will wait to review the Tigers’ loss before determining whether to reprise the move against North Queensland this week.
“In general, it worked pretty well,” Griffin said. “(Sullivan) had good patches. We attacked really well in periods. He did a good job.”
Sullivan agitated for a release in the pre-season, after Hunt signed a contract extension that appeared to delay the youngster’s chances of becoming a full-time starting halfback. He eventually withdrew the request and remains willing to bide his time.
“There was a bit of a hiccup there but I got some clarity on what I want to do and what Hook wants me to do,” he said. “I just have to put some belief back in the club and get us back to where we want to be.
“(Hunt) and I are in a position where two can’t go into one. He’s a 300-game halfback and I get to learn off him.”
Ben Ikin has been appointed chief executive of the Queensland Rugby League (QRL), a day after quitting his job as the Brisbane Broncos’ head of football operations.
Ikin previously served as an independent director on the QRL board and headed up its pathways and performance committee.
He left that position in June 2021 to oversee the Broncos’ rebuild as head of football before transitioning into the operations role.
In his new position, Ikin will supervise the game in Queensland at all levels from grassroots and the Queensland Cup to the state’s four NRL teams and the State of Origin series.
“Ben has a thorough understanding of our people and these competitions and pathways, and knows what is needed for rugby league to grow and prosper in the years to come,” QRL chairman Bruce Hatcher said.
Ben Ikin (Photo by Ashley Feder/Getty Images)
Ikin begins his new role on May 22, the same day the sides are announced for Origin 1.
“It’s a great honour to be given this role,” Ikin said.
“The QRL has a very long, proud history and is responsible for a very important part of rugby league across the state.
“I look forward to working with our staff and stakeholders to ensure that the way we do things in Queensland is both preserved and respected.”
As a player, Ikin represented Queensland at State of Origin level 17 times, in the process becoming the side’s youngest-ever debutant, and was a member of the Broncos’ 2000 premiership-winning side.
Since ending his playing days he has also worked as a media pundit, most recently as co-anchor of Fox League’s NRL 360 program.
Gold Coast speed demon Alofiana Khan-Pereira conceded he took a wrong option in snubbing veteran five-eighth Kieran Foran but fortunately for him, the gamble didn’t backfire.
Foran scored a double against the Eels on Sunday, and could have had a triple if Khan-Pereira had passed him the ball. Instead the confident speedster chipped ahead and scored himself.
“Looking back … I should have passed it to Foz (Foran),” he grinned. “He backed me, so it was good.”
The rookie winger has now scored five try doubles this season but he’s not satisfied with that.
“I haven’t had a triple yet this year in the NRL. That’s what I want,” he told AAP.
The 21-year-old rookie winger was speaking after scoring two tries in the 26-24 win over Parramatta in the final game of Magic Round to lift the Titans to seventh position on the NRL ladder.
In nine games the Lismore-born flyer has scored 11 tries but he has one gripe. “I am sick of hearing everyone telling me that I am a doubles-only winger,” he said. “I am definitely itching for that triple. It will come.”
At Burleigh Bears in the Queensland Cup last year Khan-Pereira – known as ‘Lofi’ – scored 25 tries in 19 games under the coaching of Rick Stone. That tally included three hat-tricks and a four-try display against the Mackay Cutters.
The flyer credits the former Newcastle Knights coach for his try-scoring ways.
(Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
“Rick Stone was the guy who did everything for my development. He was awesome for me,” he said. “He trusted me as a player and he trusted my speed. He would always tell me to stay right out wide and let the ball come to me.
“There were games where I was getting 300m. I had a good combination with all of the Burleigh players.”
Khan-Pereira said he had been clocked at 37 km/h, which, while not up with Bulldogs winger Josh Addo-Carr’s 38.7km/h recorded last year against the Titans, is still seriously quick. It is one of the reasons the left edge attack of the Titans is so lethal, with No.6 Foran and second-rower David Fifita promoting Khan-Pereira
The rookie said there was a lot of improvement still left in him.”It is only my (ninth) game and I still want to try and improve myself every week and not get too comfortable,” he said.
“I had a good year last year and that really set my platform. More doors opened up after that and I got closer to the NRL dream. I pushed it more … and happy days now.”
with AAP
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