Blake Ferguson to make Leigh debut this Sunday
Blake Ferguson will make his Leigh debut this Sunday against Workington, head coach Adrian Lam has confirmed.
Ferguson, 32, signed with the Championship side at the end of April on a deal until the end of the current season. He has been in England for the last two weeks, and ran waters for the Centurions on Monday night as the side defeated Batley 52-0.
The winger reunites with Lam, who previously worked with him with the Australian national team.
Ferguson made more than 250 appearances in the NRL across stints with Cronulla, Canberra, Sydney and Parramatta. He has won seven caps for Australia and has also represented New South Wales and Indigenous All Stars.
He will line up against Workington this Sunday in Round 12 of the Championship.
Blake Ferguson to make debut
Lam told Love Rugby League: “Blake Ferguson will make his debut this weekend.
“He’s been here for two weeks now and I think that’s enough to have worked his way into the team.
“He’s trained hard enough, so he’ll be included in that squad and he will play on Sunday.”
Selection headache for Lam
The addition will provide a selection headache for Lam, who will have to drop a player from the impressive win at the Fox’s Biscuits Stadium on Monday.
“That’s the hardest part about coaching, exactly that,” Lam said about his next team selection.
“I’ve kept the team up-to-date and given them clarity at all times and players that are potentially in that position to miss out.
“We’ve got a quality international player in Blake Ferguson. Everyone has been playing well. That’s the hard part, to tell someone that they’re not in the team when they’ve played well themselves.
“I’ll go through that process this week and make that decision on captain’s run on who is that player.”
Standing at 6’3, Ferguson could become one of the biggest wingers in the current Championship competition. However, Lam could potentially change his position to utilise his strength in the field.
“I think eventually, he could be seen as a centre of a full-back,” Lam said.
“For now, wing is the spot that he’ll settle on for this week. He’s played that right wing position for his whole career. There is none better on his day when Blake is playing his best rugby.
“Hopefully we can get that out of him straight away.”
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