Mark Nawaqanitawaseโs parting gift to rugby league might just be giving Jack Bostock the confidence to take risks, helping the three-try Australian hero become arguably the best winger in the game โ even though he is a centre at club level.
Kangaroos debutant Bostock scored a hat-trick on Thursday against New Zealand in the World Cup opener, including two tries from kicks and an 80m intercept.
But Bostockโs bold offload with the game on the line, which allowed Reece Walsh to work his magic and score a long-range try, was the kind of all-or-nothing play Nawaqanitawase became known for.
Nawaqanitawase was in the Kangaroos dressing room after the win over the Kiwis, and coach Kevin Walters said: โOnce youโre a Kangaroo, you are always a Kangaroo. So youโre always welcome.โ
Bostock spent time with Nawaqanitawase while in camp with NSW for Origin III, and made a point of watching how he went about his business and asking the cross-code star questions.
โMark is an off-the-cuff player โ he sees things and then does it โ itโs like heโs playing backyard footy at times, which was always great to see,โ Bostock said.
โItโs more about taking those risks, which is what I took from him. Heโd say when you do it [take risks] at training, itโs not risky, and when you do it on the field and it comes off, itโs good for everyone to watch and your teammates. He was happy to flirt on that edge of making a mistake or coming up with a big play. Most of the time he came up with the big play.โ
Nawaqanitawaseโs exit from the NRL will ignite the debate about who is the gameโs best winger, and Bostock will have plenty of admirers, even though he only plays there at representative level.
Penrithโs Brian Toโo is always in the conversation, so is Xavier Coates, who missed this season with injury, but Bostock is among the best attacking the high ball and a strong kick returner.
Centre, however, is where he sees himself in club land, not just next year, but in 2028 and beyond, wherever he may be playing by then.
When asked about being the best winger, Bostock laughed and said: โThat would be Selwyn Cobbo. When it comes to rep footy, Iโm happy to play on the wing, but with club footy, I had a good season at centre, and given it was my first year, I know I can learn a lot more and improve in that role.
โIโve been happy with chasing kicks and attacking them, and trying to make it a contest. Itโs been a big thing that has come into the game this year. Itโs something Iโve practised the last few years. Xavier Coates is the best at it in the comp before he got injured.โ
Walters said Bostockโs debut was the best he had seen by a player wearing the green and gold.
โIt was game-changing what he did for us on Thursday night โ heโs a special player,โ Walters said.
The Kangaroos gathered for camp in Brisbane on Sunday, with James Tedesco, Bradman Best and Sam Walker all expected to get game time against Fiji next Sunday after missing out on the New Zealand epic.
Walters admitted Latrell Mitchell was kept quiet against the Kiwis, but revealed there was a good reason.
โHe was crook. He was pretty ill and probably shouldnโt have played,โ Walters said. โHe had the flu and a virus. A couple of them got struck down by it, but he camouflaged it a bit, and thatโs the person he is.
โHe can get better, he knows that, and the best thing is we got through without his influence on the game. Heโll be better for the next one.โ
Bostock blamed himself for arriving in camp ill and passing it on to his left centre.
Meanwhile, Bostock was giving little away about his contract situation. Should he go to November 1 without extending his deal at the Dolphins, he is sure to attract interest, including from his junior club, St George Illawarra.
โObviously [the Illawarra region] is home and where my parents live, but it wonโt do too much [in influencing my decision]. It will always be there, and I can always go back there after footy,โ Bostock said.
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