‘I’ve been drinking lots of milk’: Not-so-secret Broncos weapon to break grand final open

5 days ago 2

Xavier Willison is ready to break the Broncos’ premiership charge wide open, as he intends to invoke memories of the great Shane Webcke.

Wearing a similar guard to the one donned by the premiership-winning enforcer en route to the 2000 NRL premiership, Willison made an emphatic return from a fractured arm in Sunday’s preliminary final triumph over Penrith.

Scoring a crucial try while running for 151 metres off the bench, the 23-year-old announced himself as a thorn in Melbourne’s side come the grand final, and the most damaging force on either bench.

Xavier Willison scores a crucial try for the Broncos.

The Kiwi has averaged 103 running metres in 11 appearances off the bench, leaving the decider’s other interchange forwards in teammate Kobe Hetherington (76 metres), and Storm trio Ativalu Lisati (48 metres), Tui Kamikamica (58 metres) and Alec MacDonald (64 metres) in his wake.

Payne Haas and Stefano Utoikamanu’s battle from the opening whistle will garner attention, but Willison’s output could change the context of the clash, particularly given Melbourne will still be missing suspended giant Nelson Asofa-Solomona.

After a shaky start at the weekend in his first game since round 22 – a knock-on within try-scoring distance, while being placed on report after a cannonball tackle – the two-metre tall, 114-kilogram enforcer vowed to let his emotions inspire a breakout performance.

“I like to get a bit emotional and wear my heart on my sleeve. I’ve done all the work behind the scenes and been drinking lots of milk, so it’s held up,” Willison said.

“I had the belief I would come back. It was just about getting myself ready for when I was called upon.”

Willison has fed off star teammate Payne Haas to take his game to greater heights, and has now put himself in the frame to be the State of Origin wrecking ball’s long-term front-row partner.

While Corey Jensen will retain his place in the starting pack, the rising star’s had a 68-minute coming-of-age performance against the Bulldogs this year.

Taking the No.8 jersey in an under-manned Broncos side – stripped of Haas, Jensen, Pat Carrigan, Reece Walsh, Gehamat Shibasaki, Ben Hunt and Jesse Arthars – Willison kept his team in the hunt despite trailing 18-0, finishing with 204 running metres and 43 tackles.

It led Hetherington to claim the squad had given him the nickname “Xavier Haas”, which Willison was quick to laugh off.

“It was definitely a confidence booster I could play those minutes if called up, but I think Kobe was the only one calling me that,” Willison said.

“[Haas] is definitely a role model on and off the field, he takes everything so professionally so it’s good to have him on my side.

“There’s not many people who can do what he does … he’s definitely a generational talent and one of a kind.”

The Willison Broncos fans see today is a far cry from the man spotted vomiting during coach Michael Maguire’s gruelling preseason.

Haas had seen a complete evolution in his prodigy.

“I thought he started so well, and of course to have that fracture in his arm didn’t help … but he’s grown so much as a person, not just on the field but off the field as well,” Haas said.

“I think maturity has been a big part of him and maturing up and being professional about how he goes about his business. I’ve seen that come a long way and come in spades, especially this year.”

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