By Cameron Bell - November 6, 2005
MELBOURNE Storm are poised to outlay more than $1million for an 18-year-old from Macksville that coach Craig Bellamy has described as "a young Laurie Daley".
Greg Inglis, who has played only 13 NRL games, will this week sign one of the most lucrative contracts ever afforded a rookie in the NRL in a deal brokered by manager Allan Gainey that has the potential to earn him well over $1m by the time he is 22.
"I'm cheering about it," Inglis said yesterday. "It's a great deal. I love it down here and I'm just looking forward to everything that is ahead of me."
Speaking from England, where he is assistant coach of the Kangaroos, Bellamy said Inglis was worth every cent.
"If we didn't come up with that sort of money for him, someone else would have," Bellamy said.
"We certainly didn't want to lose him and we think he is certainly worth that sort of money - especially down the track."
Bellamy can't remember being as excited about a young league prospect as he is about Inglis, who will get first crack at centre next year following the departure of Steven Bell to Manly.
"I'm pretty excited about him ... I think he is an exceptional kid," Bellamy said.
"I've been around the game a while and whilst I generally hate comparisons, he reminds me a lot of a young Laurie Daley. I don't like putting pressure on kids but he's a confident sort of kid in a good way and I don't think that comparison would worry him too much."
Inglis is unfazed at the amount of money being thrown at him, despite the fact he has only dipped his toe into the NRL.
"It is a good contract and I've got to show now over the next three or four years that I'm worth it," he said. "I know I've still got plenty to learn but I love it in Melbourne and the coaching staff and all the players are just great to be around.
"I really like the way the club treats its players."
Inglis has his sights on representative football, confirming he wants to play State of Origin for Queensland despite the fact he grew up on the NSW mid-north coast.
"I think there might be better opportunities for me in Queensland and I've had a year up there," he said, referring to when the Storm put him through Wavell High in Year 12.
Inglis has played for the Queensland under-19s but Bellamy said it was too early to talk Origin next year, and expressed surprise he had declared himself a Maroon.
"I don't think it will be a problem for him making either Origin team down the track," Bellamy said. "But I think he needs a full NRL season first. Having said that, he is a very special kid."
The Sunday Telegraph - http://www.news.com.au