Balke Ferguson measures up to Greg Inglis, says Wendell SailorTHE comparisons being drawn between Blake Ferguson and Greg Inglis are spot on, according to a man who knows both players well.
Wendell Sailor has been a mentor to Ferguson since his own playing days ended and said the similarities between the Canberra centre and Inglis went beyond their comparable physical dimensions.
Both stand over 190cm and weigh more than 102kg. Both are capable of things on the football field others can't do.
"If I was a NSW selector, I'd be picking (Ferguson) because you're not going to beat Queensland by playing safe," Sailor said.
Sailor said it was a big call to put someone in the same stratosphere as Inglis, viewed by many as the best player in the world.
But he has been watching and nurturing Ferguson since the former Cronulla winger sidestepped him on the wing four years ago.
"I'm not surprised in the least at what I'm seeing now," Sailor said.
"GI has been doing it for a long time but Blake can do what GI's doing. I've got no doubt he can. Blake can run 60 and 70 metres and catch balls on the fly, with one hand.
"I mean GI has taken things to a whole new level but people don't realise that Blake is just as quick and just as strong.
"Off the field with him was the key. You can have the free spirit and personality but you also need that calming influence, that balance in your life."
In the twilight of Sailor's playing career in 2009, he crossed paths with Ferguson.
"I remember playing him and I had no idea who he was. He's taken me on and beaten me cold with that footwork," Sailor recalled. "As he's gone past me, I've done the splits and I'm filthy.
"He came back for some more and I hit him hard. He went down winded but got straight back up. He scored a try in the dying minutes and after scoring he helped me up off the turf trying to stop him. I'll always remember it. It was like the new young bull against an ageing old bull."
The next year and Ferguson made his first representative team -- the Indigenous All Stars -- and ran into Sailor again.
"I liked his energy and Ricky Stuart rang me to say, 'Thanks for helping out with Blake', because he's had a fair bit of instability growing up. The hardest thing for him so far has been the way he left Cronulla."
When Ferguson left the Sharks to sign a deal with Canberra he said wanted to join a club that could win a premiership.
"People don't like that," Sailor said. "Don't like that brashness, too American."
"I'm excited about seeing all the young, talented kids in this competition. But I take a special liking to indigenous kids, because I know a lot of those kids have a shame factor or are embarrassed about themselves."
Source: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/nrl/balke-ferguson-measures-up-to-greg-inglis-says-wendell-sailor/story-fnca0von-1226648723713
Topic: Sailor says Ferguson measures up to Inglis
