He's the Raiders' secret weapon, who retired superstar Benji Marshall believes is capable or returning Canberra to the NRL's top four.
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The club's new head of performance, Jeremy Hickmans, is putting the final touches on his first preseason at the Raiders, and Marshall knows exactly what the players will be going through.
"They're getting punished," Marshall told The Canberra Times during Tuesday's Fox League season launch.
"I had him at Brisbane and at Dragons, he knows his stuff, he's probably the best I've had.
"Jeremy's strength is he knows how to manage players' loads so they don't burn out.
"When they're on the verge of getting hamstring injuries, he pulls them out of training. He can save so many injuries in a season, he's really good at that, he can make a big difference.
"It's all about managing how much training you do, at what speed, and he's all over those things."
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Hickmans spent 14 years as one of Wayne Bennett's right-hand men, as a key cog in the master coach's staff at the St George Illawarra Dragons, and the Brisbane Broncos.
He also worked with the England national team under Bennett for four seasons before joining the Raiders late last year.
Improving the Raiders' physical prowess under the NRL's taxing new rule changes of recent years has been Hickmans' key remit during the preseason. The club undergoes its first serious test of the Hickmans era at Leichhardt Oval on Friday night, in a trial against the Sydney Roosters.
Marshall said the Raiders were capable of bouncing straight back into the NRL's top four in 2022 with Hickmans at the helm, and on the back of a resurgent Joseph Tapine who was man of the match in the Maori All Stars' win over the Indigenous All Stars last weekend.
"I honestly believe he's like a Sonny Bill type player where he can be one of the biggest stars of the game," Marshall said.
"I know him really well and watched him on the weekend, it looks like he's ready to have a big one. He's just got so much talent and so much ability I feel like if he can put it together he can be a real leader for the Raiders.
"He's still a pretty young guy, people forget. Usually in that position people don't start maturing until like 28, 29 in the front row and from what I'm seeing. . .it'll be a big year for him."
James Buckley
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
James is a Queanbeyan boy enjoying his second stint at the Canberra Times, more than eight years on from his first. In between he's traveled the world, and spent time covering sport in Sydney.
