‘He’ll tear you apart’: Why Dane Gagai knew he couldn’t take a backward step against Latrell Mitchell
Dane Gagai gave the impression he would need all nine days to recover from his running battle with Latrell Mitchell in time for Newcastle’s semi-final against the New Zealand Warriors.
The 35-year-old was outstanding in his match-up with Mitchell last Friday, but was still feeling the physical affects more than three days later.
“I was pretty sore Saturday,” Gagai said. “[But] you’re always worse the second day, and even though we had Monday off, which was nice, I was still feeling it.
“I saw the interview with Latrell after the game and how he said it was refreshing and good to have that battle.
“He’s a phenomenal athlete. I’ll never be 105kg, six foot three and be able to run and move like him at that size. I could probably get to the weight, but I’d be no good.
“With someone like Latrell, every centre in the game knows who they are coming up against that week, and they’ve got a job ahead of them. What he can do on the footy field is nothing short of amazing.
“I couldn’t take a backward step. If you give ‘Trell’ any momentum, he’ll tear you apart. I couldn’t let my teammates down.”
After throwing everything at his good friend, Gagai insisted he had plenty in the tank for Sunday’s do-or-die clash at a rocking Eden Park in Auckland, where he will take on Adam Pompey, or Leka Halasima should he overcome a hamstring injury.
“If anything, it’s a case of that [the Mitchell showdown] is ticked off, now you’re on to the next one; I’m even more excited for this next challenge,” Gagai said.
“It’s not hard to get yourself up when you know a loss means your season is done.”
Defeat in Auckland will not only spell the end of Newcastle’s season, but also Gagai’s time in the city, with the representative centre to return home to Brisbane. He only has a one-year deal with the Broncos, but is already open to a second season, Mitchell conceding in a post-match interview on Friday: “I reckon he can go around another two seasons, the old fella”.
Gagai made his debut in the opening round of the 2011 season, when Darren Lockyer was Broncos skipper. During a lengthy and successful career, Gagai has played with some of the greats, including Queensland legends Cameron Smith, Billy Slater, Cooper Cronk and Johnathan Thurston, Mitchell and Sam Burgess at South Sydney, and Newcastle captain Kalyn Ponga.
But the person he describes as the most influential figure in his career was the man sitting in the losing coaches box last Friday night – and the man who lured him away from Red Hill to Newcastle in 2012 – Wayne Bennett.
Gagai was struggling to force his way into the Broncos team at the start of the 2012 season, had interest from the Bulldogs and Penrith, as well as the Queensland Reds, only for Bennett to convince him to move to the Hunter.
Gagai recalls one of their first conversations, in the car park at the Knights’ old training base in Mayfield, and how Bennett took more interest in Gagai sorting out his life off the field than worrying about on-field performances.
“The biggest influence on my career would be Wayne,” Gagai said.
“I remember that year [2012]. I was playing for the Redcliffe Dolphins in Cairns. We’d played against Northern Pride, went out and had a big night. I was feeling dusty the next day at the airport when Wayne called.
“I played 74 games straight for Newcastle when I got there, and it was due to Wayne giving me that confidence and backing me to do it.”
Bennett said on Thursday about Gagai: “They [Brisbane] let him go because they said he was overweight and a poor trainer – he’s one of the best trainers I’ve coached, and he was never late.
“He’s matured, and even though I haven’t been with him a few years, I’ve seen his leadership has improved.
“He’s such a good player. He’s got that never-say-die attitude, and it’s remarkable for his age what he does.”
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