Australia vice-captain Paul Gallen expects Kiwi defector James Tamou to hit new heights against New Zealand in Saturday night’s rugby league Test in Townsville.
Gallen says the giant prop has improved dramatically since his controversial Kangaroos debut in April in Auckland when he angered Kiwis by declaring his allegiance to Australia and NSW.
The North Queensland front-rower had been named in the New Zealand train-on squad for last year’s Four Nations campaign, but overlooked for the tournament proper.
Tamou revealed earlier this year he was reluctant to set foot outside the Australian team hotel before his first game in the green and gold, such was the vitriol towards him in the land of his birth.
But Gallen, who skippered the front-rower during this season’s State of Origin series, said the 23-year-old had learnt from the experience and noticed an upturn in his performances since becoming a representative player.
The Cronulla captain was key in persuading Tamou to throw his lot in with the Blues and a close confidant, but Gallen said he no longer needed to give him any advice.
“We had a conversation earlier in the year and I said to him ‘go back to club level and play like a rep player’ and he hasn’t missed a beat,” Gallen said in Townsville on Tuesday.
“He’s a rep player now and deserves his place in the side as he has been one of the best players in the team whenever I’ve played with him.”
The furore surrounding Tamou’s defection has since settled down and Gallen said the experience would stand him in good stead when he goes up against Stephen Kearney’s side at Dairy Farmers Stadium.
“Coming into your first rep camp you always feel like a bit of a passenger,” he said.
“He certainly wasn’t that. But his week was hampered by the amount of media attention he got and wasn’t able to be himself at training or around camp.
“This week he has and I think we’ll see a much better player for Australia this time around.
“He’s still in his early 20s and has a bit of maturing to do on and off the field, but his best football is still in front of him.”
Kangaroos coach Tim Sheens’ contract ends at the end of this year and a decision is yet to be made by the ARLC about whether the 61-year-old will be kept on for next year’s Rugby League World Cup in England.
Sheens was recently axed as Wests Tigers coach after 10 years at the helm, but Gallen is hopeful he’ll be kept on in 2013.
“Sheensy has done a really great job for us over the last four years and I know he really wants to take us to the World Cup,” Gallen said.
“We’ve had success under him and I don’t see why there should be any reason to get a new coach in.”