Battered Brisbane forward Matt Gillett says he’ll pick a more suitable target next time he attempts a big shot on a rival after St George Illawarra prop Michael Weyman left him “stunned” during Friday night’s 28-20 NRL win for the Broncos at Suncorp Stadium.
Gillett was groggy and left with “jelly legs” after the 114kg Weyman absorbed the full force of his shoulder charge during a memorable first-half collision, sending him flying backwards as if he’d been fired out of a cannon.
Despite the impact, Gillett bounced back to turn in another star performance and be on hand to score the match-winning try in the 69th minute following some Pele-like brilliance from winger Gerard Beale down the right touchline.
Coach Anthony Griffin said Gillett will learn from his missed shoulder charge, and the 23-year-old tends to agree.
“He (Weyman) was probably the wrong man to go so hard on, he got the better of me, that’s for sure,” laughed Gillett, nursing a bruised left hand which was packed in ice.
“It stunned me.
“I got back in the line and my legs were like jelly, but I remember everything about the game.”
To many, Gillett, who is firming as a bolter in Test selection discussions, was the best player on the field.
But Griffin, who promoted him to the starting side, felt he had “tried too hard” in the opening minutes to come up with a big defensive play.
“I thought he was probably trying to do too much too early, hence that shoulder charge – that might knock him back into shape a bit,” said Griffin.
“He (Gillett) just loves contact. He’s choc-full of confidence at the moment and I don’t want to ever discourage him from doing that.
“I just got the feeling watching him he was looking for that big hit all the time rather than playing defensively for the team.
“I’m not cross at him or anything, I’m just saying he’s got to pick his time.”
Brisbane skipper Sam Thaiday had a slightly different view to Griffin.
“It’s pretty courageous what he does,” said Thaiday.
“He’s not as big as Mick Weyman or those other big front-rowers but he really does put his body on the line and that’s what you want in a teammate, someone who is prepared to do their all and he does that.”
Gillett’s goal is to cement a spot in Brisbane’s starting side but he admits that won’t be easy with Corey (Parker) coming back from injury in a few weeks.