The recruitment of Todd Carney attracted all the fanfare, but Cronulla coach Shane Flanagan says the return of hooker Isaac De Gois to the NRL club will play just as big a role in determining the Sharks’ success in 2012.
While De Gois’ motivation will no doubt be far more personal on Sunday when he takes on the club and coach that didn’t want him, Flanagan said Newcastle’s loss would be Cronulla’s gain this season.
For the first time since De Gois left the Sharks in 2009, the club again has a genuine hooker capable of demanding long minutes in the No.9 jumper.
Former Canterbury veteran Corey Hughes started 21 games at hooker the year De Gois left but reached the 60-minute mark just twice, while Paul Aiton and John Morris have both struggled to hold down the spot on a regular basis over the last two years.
In his return game last week, De Gois clocked 61 minutes as he combined with Carney to drag the Sharks back into a contest they eventually lost to Wests Tigers in golden point.
“The value of him (De Gois) to us is really important as far as how we go this year,” Flanagan told AAP.
“John Morris is a good player, probably more in the utility mould, he can play six, seven, nine or 13, but Isaac is just a dead-set out and out hooker and we’ve missed that.”
Asked whether he could eventually see De Gois turning into an 80-minute player, Flanagan said:
“I probably could see that down the track, probably not over the early rounds.”
Flanagan won’t have to work too hard to get De Gois up for Sunday’s contest, with the feisty hooker sure to have a point to prove against the Knights.
De Gois had actually agreed to a three-year contract extension with the Knights early last year only for the deal to fall through following Nathan Tinkler’s takeover of the club and subsequent hiring of Wayne Bennett as coach for 2012.
His head-to-head battle with the man who replaced him – former Test hooker Danny Buderus – will be an intriguing one, as will be the reception afforded former Shark Kade Snowden after he reneged on a new deal with Cronulla last year to take up a big money offer from the Knights.
Both sides have made just minor changes following round one losses, with Junior Sa’u coming in for suspended Newcastle centre Timana Tahu and Stewart Mills replacing Matt Wright on the wing for Cronulla.