St George Illawarra coach Paul McGregor says his players have drawn inspiration from Alex McKinnon‘s brave fightback from a spinal chord injury ahead of tonight’s clash against the Manly Sea Eagles at Jubilee Oval.
NRL teams and fans have been united for the Rise For Alex round the past four days – the call to arms raising more than $1 million for the former Newcastle forward’s recovery.
McKinnon started his career at the Dragons and retains strong links to the club. McGregor said his players would take the occasion to heart when they ran out tonight.
“He (McKinnon) has got a lot of close friends at this club,” McGregor said. “A lot of the juniors who came through with him – (Jack) Stockwell, (Jack) De Belin, (Trent) Merrin – they all played a lot of football with Alex. I’m sure if they show the progress and the heart Alex has shown then we’ll be more than okay.”
The Dragons have revived their season with three straight wins and will be on the cusp of the top eight if they topple the Sea Eagles. Manly welcomes back NSW second-rower Anthony Watmough from suspension for the clash but will be without fellow forward Justin Horo, who was rubbed out for three weeks for dangerous contact.
The Dragons’ squad is nearly at full strength, with Merrin (shoulder) the biggest out. McGregor, however, said his side was bracing for a tough encounter against the premiership favourites.
“To know where you need to be as a team, you need to challenge the better players,” he said. “They (Manly) have got a lot of world-class players who are coming first in the competition. Last time we played a team coming first, it was three tries all with Penrith at Penrith Park. We’ve got Manly at home and we’re all looking forward to what lies ahead.”
