St George Illawarra Dragons centre Dane Nielsen admits it was a surreal moment to score in the 14-12 pre-season win over the Mackay Cutters at Mackay Stadium on Saturday.
St George Illawarra Dragons centre Dane Nielsen admits it was a surreal moment to score in the 14-12 pre-season win over the Mackay Cutters at Mackay Stadium on Saturday.
The Norths Devils Mackay junior notched the opening try of the encounter which also saw Andrew McCarthy and Junior Vai Vai cross the stripe.
Dragons Assistant Head Coach Dean Young named a 22-man squad for the encounter against the Queensland Cup opponents which included Dragons NRL and NYC players as well as several others from the Illawarra Cutters.
Nielsen arrived at the Dragons during the off-season and is hopeful that this is the first of many opportunities to don the famous Red V jersey.
“It was good to get a run-out in front of all my friends and family and get through the game injury free,” said Nielsen.
“Despite getting my name on the sheet I know I still have a long way to go until I am at my best but it was good to blow the cobwebs out.
“Gareth was able to through me the pass I needed to get over the stripe but like I said there are still areas for improvement.
“For a lot of these players it was their first hit-out since the end of the competition last year and the heat did slow a few of the big boys a bit but we all go through it okay.
“I thought in particular that both Leeson Ah Mau and Adam Tuimavave-Gerrard had good games out there against a very strong Cutters pack.
“Both teams played well on the park and on a few occasions Mackay held us out which is something we will be reviewing on the video during the week at training.”
Vision Courtesy of Heidi Henderson (WIN TV Mackay)
