Dean Young vividly recalls the conversation that led to Reece Robson leaving St George Illawarra for North Queensland in 2020.
Robson, who is tipped to start at hooker for NSW in his Origin debut at Suncorp Stadium on Wednesday night, was a talented rookie destined for representative honours but the Dragons couldn’t meet the expectations of their rising star.
“He couldn't work out in his mind how we had Cameron McInnes at No.9 in front of him,” said Young, who has coached Robson at both the Dragons and Cowboys.
“Cameron McInnes was our captain and a really good player at that particular time that Reece was coming through, but that is the sort of competitor he is.
He thinks he is the best, he trains to be the best and he is in a good position now.
Dean Young on Reece Robson
The selection of Robson in the Blues squad for Origin II has been several years in the planning as NSW coach Brad Fittler eyed off a successor for Damien Cook and Api Koroisau, who are both in their 30s.
Robson was chosen in the Australian schoolboys and NSW Under 18s teams in 2016 and played for the Junior Kangaroos and NSW Under 20s in 2017 and 2018 – the year he made his NRL debut as a 19-year-old.
Blues assistant coach Paul McGregor was in charge of the Dragons at the time and said the club knew they were losing a future star, but McInnes was in the 2020 NSW squad.
Fittler's final thoughts ahead of Game II
“It was a bit of a sliding doors moment,” McGregor said.
“Robbo’s role at the time was as an interchange player who could play No.9 and back-row but that was never going to be for too long.
“I don’t think he really wanted to go but he wanted a pathway and that was obviously going to a club where they needed a No.9.
“Reece and Cameron were very similar players when they were both at the club but Reece’s game has developed since then, so it is full credit to the people he has been under, and himself.
"Dean Young was one of his coaches and he can take a lot of credit.”
Like Young, who played Origin in 2011, Robson has the ability to play in the back-row as well as dummy half and that is how the Blues are expected to use him, although he has been used exclusively at hooker for the past two seasons.
Reece Robson more machine than man
“Dean is someone I looked up to and actually a lot of the staff who were at the Dragons when I was there were of that calibre too, with Mary and Ben Hornby," Robson said.
“I used to pick their brains and soak up as much as I could. Dean being in my position too was pretty helpful.
"My first couple of NRL pre-seasons at the Dragons, he was sort of taught me a lot of the fundamentals, especially in the defensive area.
“It was such a tough decision to leave everything you know and a lot of good mates at a great club, but I just knew I wanted to play NRL week in and week out and that's what was waiting for me up at the Cowboys.
“Cam McInnes was a massive leader of the team at the time and there was an opportunity for me at the Cowboys so I thought that was going to be the best for my football moving forward."
Robson is now considered one of the best hookers in the game and he has expressed ambitions to play for Australia.
Young regards Robson as the best defensive hooker, while McGregor said he possessed arguably the best long passing game in the NRL.
“What he does for us at the Cowboys is incredible,” Young said. “As an example, Cameron Smith is the greatest hooker the game has ever seen and he was so good at decision making with the ball in his hands.
“I vividly remember watching the Melbourne Storm and Cameron Smith would pass the ball off the deck for Cooper Cronk or Cameron Munster or whoever it was to kick down-field and he would virtually walk to get there for play two and then bring line speed, do his tackling and whatever else he did.
“That was probably a way of Melbourne trying to save him some energy so he could play 80 minutes and have the impact on the game that he did.
“Robbo passes off the deck and he sprints down there, he is in our kick chase the majority of the time, plus the line speed he brings, the work he does at marker, and he makes 50 tackles on top of that. And he barely misses a tackle.”
McGregor said the Blues hoped to capitalise on the contrasting styles of Robson and Cook, with the former providing quick service to halves Mitchell Moses and Jarome Luai, and the speed of the latter out of dummy half threatening the Maroons defence.
Tedesco prepared to get the job done
“Reece’s passing game out of dummy half is very, very good and it can be very long,” McGregor said. “He has probably got the best accuracy of any dummy half in the NRL so it’s a good balance of different styles.”
With Cook to celebrate his 32nd birthday on June 23 and Koroisau turning 31 in November, 25-year-old Robson has an opportunity to cement a place in the NSW team for years to come
“He’s always been very driven and he has always known what he has wanted, and that is to play for NSW and to win grand finals," Young said.
"He has got a big ambition to play for Australia, as well. I know that for a fact. He has put all of the work in to put himself in this situation and now he has got to go and perform. I’m sure he will. “
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