Ellis lauds Smith influence

Gareth Ellis has spoken of his enthusiasm at the prospect working with Roosters coach Brian Smith during the upcoming Four Nations.

Smith, who lead the tricolours to the Grand Final, will act as a mentor to England coach Steve McNamara during the tournament.

Ellis, who collected the Wests Tigers player of the year award for the second consecutive season, hopes that Smith’s influence will be a significant one for England.

“Steve says he is fantastic. I am really looking forward to working with him,” said Ellis.

“He had a great year at the Roosters and hopefully some of that success and confidence will rub off on us.”

When appointed in April, Smith said: “Working with England is not something I ever saw myself doing but I feel honoured to be involved.

“My first goal is to bring whatever Steve McNamara requires of me – if I have it – and help him with the day-to-day aspects of coaching.

“I’ll also be updating Steve with the general trends in coaching Down Under and keeping him informed about the players in Australia and New Zealand.”

England‘s preparations for the tournament begin with a warm up match against New Zealand Maori on October 16.

Their campaign gets underway on October 23 in Wellington against the Kiwis before clashes with Australia on October 31 and Papua New Guinea on November 6.

For more information on the 2010 Four Nations go to www.rlfournations.com