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Unlucky Luke stuck in local competition, on $250000 a yearNewcastle Herald... MacDougall believes he is physically and mentally ready to resume at NRL level. Smith is dubious and indicated yesterday that the former Cronulla, ...and more »
Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?fd=R&sa=T&url=http://www.theherald.com.au/news/local/sport/rugby-league/unlucky-luke-stuck-in-local-competition-on-250000-a-year/1594638.aspx&usg=AFQjCNEt_4Lqx7a48Hm8BCAxxq5tnXEsuw
Unlucky Luke stuck in local competition, on $250,000 a year
BY ROBERT DILLON
13/08/2009 4:00:00 AM
HE has scored nine tries in six games this year for Lakes United, including four in 41 minutes last weekend.
In his 60-game NRL career he has racked up 36 four-pointers, as many as Junior Sau, Keith Lulia and Cooper Vuna combined but in fewer games.
He is comfortable playing centre or wing, confident he has fully recovered from the injury that left him in limbo for two seasons and has declared he is raring to go if Knights coach Brian Smith requires a fresh set of legs to bolster his embattled side.
But whether Luke MacDougall gets to pull on a blue-and-red Newcastle jumper again remains to be seen.
MacDougall, the 26-year-old younger brother of Knights veteran Adam, has played 11/2 games for the club since his mid-season arrival from St George Illawarra in 2007.
In his second appearance for Newcastle, against Wests Tigers on June 10, 2007, he ruptured his triceps, a rare injury that has required surgery twice.
After beginning his second comeback 10 weeks ago with two tries for Lakes against Cessnock, MacDougall believes he is physically and mentally ready to resume at NRL level.
Smith is dubious and indicated yesterday that the former Cronulla, South Sydney and Dragons speedster will struggle to force his way into Newcastle's backline at such a crucial stage of their campaign.
"He wasn't close to selection this week, but we're aware he's scoring some tries," Smith said yesterday.
"But there's a fair bit more to footy than scoring tries."
Smith said MacDougall was in an unfortunate position, because of the disparity in standard between the Newcastle competition and the NRL, and because it had been so long since he had played in the top grade.
"That makes it very difficult to have confidence that he would do the job," he said.
"The footy that he's playing doesn't really harden you up physically like playing in the NRL does.
"It's the classic Catch-22 for him and I feel sorry for him in that regard. But I didn't make it happen and it's certainly not his fault either."
Asked whether it was unlikely MacDougall would get a call-up this season, Smith replied, "Unlikely is probably right, but you never know."
MacDougall said all he could do was make sure he was well prepared if he did receive an opportunity.
"I've felt pretty good for the last six or eight weeks," he said.
"The comeback was quite easy. The arm felt good and my confidence was pretty much restored after my first game.
"From my point of view, I've been raring to go for a little while . . . it's one of those things where I have to just keep doing everything I can, dotting the i's and crossing the t's."
Asked whether he was frustrated about being overlooked, especially as Newcastle have lost heavily in their past three games, MacDougall replied: "That sort of stuff is out of my control.
"To be honest, I've just got to remain positive. I've been through a lot the last 18 months, and if I wasn't a positive person, I probably wouldn't still be here.
"I've just got to remember that I'm playing good football, my arm is right and things are looking up for me."
MacDougall, who will be a free agent at season's end, said his manager had received expressions of interest from other clubs, but his preference was to remain with the Knights.
It is understood Newcastle have little room to move under their salary but are investigating how they can retain MacDougall on a cut-price incentive deal, a far cry from the $250,000-a-season contract he has been on for the past two years.
"I've told my manager my priority was to just play some good football and concentrate on that," he said.
"My attitude hasn't changed.
"It only seems right that when I do start kicking some goals, I do it for the Knights.
"They've invested a lot of time and resources into me and it only seems fair that when I do return to first grade they're the ones who benefit from it.
"I'd be more than willing to make concessions to stay here, because I definitely feel I owe the club a lot for bringing me back from this injury, especially the training staff, the physios and the support staff.
"If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be playing."
Source: http://news.google.com/news/url?fd=R&sa=T&url=http://www.theherald.com.au/news/local/sport/rugby-league/unlucky-luke-stuck-in-local-competition-on-250000-a-year/1594638.aspx&usg=AFQjCNEt_4Lqx7a48Hm8BCAxxq5tnXEsuw
Unlucky Luke stuck in local competition, on $250,000 a year
BY ROBERT DILLON
13/08/2009 4:00:00 AM
HE has scored nine tries in six games this year for Lakes United, including four in 41 minutes last weekend.
In his 60-game NRL career he has racked up 36 four-pointers, as many as Junior Sau, Keith Lulia and Cooper Vuna combined but in fewer games.
He is comfortable playing centre or wing, confident he has fully recovered from the injury that left him in limbo for two seasons and has declared he is raring to go if Knights coach Brian Smith requires a fresh set of legs to bolster his embattled side.
But whether Luke MacDougall gets to pull on a blue-and-red Newcastle jumper again remains to be seen.
MacDougall, the 26-year-old younger brother of Knights veteran Adam, has played 11/2 games for the club since his mid-season arrival from St George Illawarra in 2007.
In his second appearance for Newcastle, against Wests Tigers on June 10, 2007, he ruptured his triceps, a rare injury that has required surgery twice.
After beginning his second comeback 10 weeks ago with two tries for Lakes against Cessnock, MacDougall believes he is physically and mentally ready to resume at NRL level.
Smith is dubious and indicated yesterday that the former Cronulla, South Sydney and Dragons speedster will struggle to force his way into Newcastle's backline at such a crucial stage of their campaign.
"He wasn't close to selection this week, but we're aware he's scoring some tries," Smith said yesterday.
"But there's a fair bit more to footy than scoring tries."
Smith said MacDougall was in an unfortunate position, because of the disparity in standard between the Newcastle competition and the NRL, and because it had been so long since he had played in the top grade.
"That makes it very difficult to have confidence that he would do the job," he said.
"The footy that he's playing doesn't really harden you up physically like playing in the NRL does.
"It's the classic Catch-22 for him and I feel sorry for him in that regard. But I didn't make it happen and it's certainly not his fault either."
Asked whether it was unlikely MacDougall would get a call-up this season, Smith replied, "Unlikely is probably right, but you never know."
MacDougall said all he could do was make sure he was well prepared if he did receive an opportunity.
"I've felt pretty good for the last six or eight weeks," he said.
"The comeback was quite easy. The arm felt good and my confidence was pretty much restored after my first game.
"From my point of view, I've been raring to go for a little while . . . it's one of those things where I have to just keep doing everything I can, dotting the i's and crossing the t's."
Asked whether he was frustrated about being overlooked, especially as Newcastle have lost heavily in their past three games, MacDougall replied: "That sort of stuff is out of my control.
"To be honest, I've just got to remain positive. I've been through a lot the last 18 months, and if I wasn't a positive person, I probably wouldn't still be here.
"I've just got to remember that I'm playing good football, my arm is right and things are looking up for me."
MacDougall, who will be a free agent at season's end, said his manager had received expressions of interest from other clubs, but his preference was to remain with the Knights.
It is understood Newcastle have little room to move under their salary but are investigating how they can retain MacDougall on a cut-price incentive deal, a far cry from the $250,000-a-season contract he has been on for the past two years.
"I've told my manager my priority was to just play some good football and concentrate on that," he said.
"My attitude hasn't changed.
"It only seems right that when I do start kicking some goals, I do it for the Knights.
"They've invested a lot of time and resources into me and it only seems fair that when I do return to first grade they're the ones who benefit from it.
"I'd be more than willing to make concessions to stay here, because I definitely feel I owe the club a lot for bringing me back from this injury, especially the training staff, the physios and the support staff.
"If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be playing."
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No thanks, given his injury history I don't think we'd get much value out of him even if we picked him up for a fraction of that amount.
