After being shown the door by Brisbane last year, Newcastle’s Dane Gagai is now looking to emulate Justin Hodges as the world’s premier centre after parlaying his good form into a two-year NRL contract extension.
The Mackay-born 22-year-old was acknowledged as the best young player at the Broncos with seasoned observers rating him as the most exciting talent to emerge at the club since Hodges in 2000.
But despite his natural talent, Gagai struggled off the field and admits he lacked the professionalism to make it with the Broncos, who finally lost patience and released him last May just two months after handing him a new deal.
Despite wielding the axe, coach Anthony Griffin made a point of contacting several clubs trying to fix the youngster up with a move that would allow him to showcase his abilities in the NRL.
Now the gifted youngster is thriving under noted disciplinarian Wayne Bennett and is locked into the Knights until the end of the 2015 season.
Gagai said he’d be forever grateful to Griffin and particularly Bennett, who coached his father Ray in the 1980s, for offering him the chance to revive his career.
“Wayne and I had a private conversation when I arrived and he told me to forget everything that happened in Brisbane and look forward,” Gagai told AAP.
“He not only worked on my abilities on the field, but off the field he has helped me out with things outside of footy.
“That’s what makes him such a great coach. He’s big on family, he really gets involved with his players and looks after everyone.
“He’s also given me some tough love when it’s been needed and you just have to curl up, put your tail between your legs and listen to what he’s saying.”
Gagai was a star fullback for the Broncos’ under-20s side and hadn’t played in the centres until joining the Knights.
After initially struggling coming to grips with the defensive side of the role, he said studying Hodges and his high standards at close quarters for so long has improved his game.
“Hodgo was good. He’s the sort of person to tell you how it is if you’re slacking off,” he said.
“Some people look at it as a bad thing, but not me. As hard as it was, he would give it to you straight.
“I love the way he plays in the centres. He’s aggressive in defence and strong in attack. I have tried to take a few things from his game and use them.
“He’s the best centre in the world and that’s what I want to be.”
Meanwhile, the Knights also re-signed forwards David Fa’alogo and Robbie Rochow for one and three-year deals respectively.