ONE of rugby leagues greatest kickers could be the Steamers’ secret weapon in today’s do-or-die clash with Waratahs.
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Mike Eden has been working with blue and golds’ Blake Le Cornu in recent weeks and said the centre had the ability to kick it from anywhere.
Eden won rugby league’s best and fairest award (now known as the Dally M) in 1983 in a season where he scored 256 points that included 12 tries, 103 goals and two field goals.
A junior soccer player, he could kick with both right and left foot depending on the angle, never measured his run-up and pioneered round-the-corner kicking in league.
But Eden is not planning to change the way Le Cornu kicks.
“Kicking is about confidence and pressure,” he said.
“You are the only one out of 15 who wanted to do this so enjoy the moment, you have generally kicked goals from all over the park in practice, so you just visualise the flight of the ball and go and knock it over.
“I never practised from the sideline, you realistically are only going to kick one out of two from out there, and I always finished from close to in front — just putting five in a row straight over the black dot.
“Blake can kick them from anywhere, there is nothing wrong with his technique or ability — he just needs to realise that.”
Le Cornu said the one-on- one sessions had proven invaluable.
“I’ve never really had anyone look at my kicking other than the odd comment at training,” he said.
“Having someone like Mike Eden look at it, just build my confidence has been great.”