IN rugby league, a chance is all one needs to prove himself.
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And that's exactly what Adam Clune intends to do if he's named in the St George Illawarra halves alongside skipper Ben Hunt on Tuesday.
With Corey Norman (suspended) and Jayden Sullivan (injured) both unavailable for selection, it appears the Albion Park-Oak Flats product is destined to wear the six jersey for the Red V in their season opener against Cronulla-Sutherland on Sunday.
"Obviously we won't find out who's in the team until Tuesday but there could be an opportunity for me in the halves, which is a position I'm keen to play," Clune said.
"If Hook [Anthony Griffin] gives me the chance, I'm going to do my best to grab it with both hands.
"We train each week to play in the NRL, so if I'm lucky enough to be named in the 17, I'll be doing my best to help the team be successful and walk away with the two points on Sunday.
"That's all I can do and whatever happens after that is out of my hands."
Differently to last year, if Clune isn't named in the gameday squad, he can drop back into the club's NSW Cup side - a competition that didn't run in 2020.
"It was disappointing that the reserve grade competition didn't run last year, which meant if you weren't selected each weekend, you weren't getting a game under your belt," he said.
"There were some guys who hadn't played footy in a year until our recent trials matches.
"It's a great competition and if I'm not in the 17, I go back with a positive frame of mind and work on those little parts of my game that need improving - giving me a chance to fight for my spot in the first grade side."
The 2021 pre-season, which has just wrapped up, marked the 25-year-old's second with the top group.
"Obviously there's been a fair bit of coaching turnover here at the club but I've really enjoyed the challenge of learning new techniques to add to my game under the new regime," Clune said.
"They say variety is the spice of life, so with the slightly different set-up, there's been plenty of new and positive ideas brought to the table, which all the boys have bought into.
"While we've had some disappointing results in the trial matches, we are all excited about what we can achieve in 2021."
In particular, Matt Elliot has come on as the attacking coach, which has slightly altered what the coaches want from their halves.
"Matty is really open to discussion about what we want and need as halves, while also playing to our strengths," Clune said.
"While things haven't changed a great deal in terms of role, we've been trying to focus on tightening up those little things in our games, such as an emphasise on running the ball and always been a threat with the ball in hand.
"That was a focus last year under Mary [Paul McGregor] but we've gone even further with it under Hook - I'm confident will see our attack continue to evolve as the season progresses, depending on who's in the side and what combinations there are.
"The fact there is healthy competition between us halves is great, as we are pushing each other to be better each day.
"All the strong teams have depth in key positions and we're no different."
Regardless of where the Group Seven junior is selected, his goals for 2021 won't change.
"I'd obviously like to play as many first grade games as I can this year but my main goal is to continually improve as a footballer," Clune, who played 15 games during his debut season, said.
"Last year I learnt a heap about my game and that's put me in good stead for this season.
"If I can apply those into my training each week while continuing to learn, I'm sure it'll put me in the best position to help this team achieve success."
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