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Smith looking to move on from 2006Wednesday, March 14, 2007 - 1:50 PMThe 2006 NRL season is in the past - and that's just where Parramatta halfback Tim Smith wants to keep it. The precociously talented 22-year-old had a year to forget, the spectacular heights of his 2005 rookie campaign in stark contrast to a season dogged by poor form, injury and a $5000 fine for turning up to a rehabilitation session drunk. But that was then and this is now for Smith, who is more intent on rediscovering the form which saw him named rookie of the year in 2005 and won him an invitation to a Queensland Origin camp early last year. "I'm just trying to put it behind me to be honest ... I don't really want to talk about it. "I'm really just looking forward to 2007 and hopefully I can put me best foot forward and recapture that form from 2005." Smith was heralded as the best Eels No.7 since former Test halfback Peter Sterling after his first season, and while it was always going to be tough to live up to the hype, few would have predicted such a spectacular freefall. First there was Parramatta's dramatic loss of form which resulted in only two wins from their first ten matches. Then Smith and Mark Riddell turned up to training intoxicated, the same day as longtime coach Brian Smith resigned. Both Smith and Riddell were fined and dropped to Premier League, Smith's season reaching a new low when he suffered a broken collarbone in the round 18 win over Newcastle. He returned just before the finals, and says the collarbone and confidence are now back to full strength. Smith isn't the only one looking for a rebirth out Parramatta way, with former NSW halfback Brett Finch and ex-Newcastle coach Michael Hagan also starting afresh. Smith and Finch face their first real test as a halves combination against the New Zealand Warriors at Mt Smart Stadium on Saturday night when the Eels open their premiership campaign. The pair played together in Parramatta's final two trial matches, Smith claiming Finch was growing more accustomed to playing at five-eighth rather than halfback. "The last trial against the Roosters I thought we looked really good together in the second half," Smith said. "My job is to run the team, Brett's just got to relax and just worry about his game. "It should be good though because maybe when I'm a bit tired Brett can take over, obviously him being a halfback he knows what to do. I'm sure we'll be right ... what we've done so far I've been pretty happy with. "Obviously it's going to take a little bit of time, but I'm really looking forward to it. Hopefully now we can get off to a good start on Saturday." The Eels go into the game against the Warriors minus Test backrower Nathan Hindmarsh, who is continuing his recovery from offseason foot surgery, while Timana Tahu has been named after missing all of Parramatta's trial matches with a hand injury. Source: AAP http://www.nrl.com.au/Clubs/Eels/...abid/121/NewsId/4162/Default.aspx |