Like a rampaging bull: Darcy Lussick's intensity inspires undefeated Wolfpack
The 'Vegan Warrior' Anthony Mullally set to join Toronto's ranks
It cannot be measured. There are no stats available.
Neither can it be taught for there is no examination. It cannot be replicated. No practice regimen can successfully clone its impact.
Intensity comes from within. It's a feeling; a built-in human emotion which almost always proves decisive. Speed, bravery, confidence and coordination are all by-products of intensity.
Darcy Lussick was feeling it on the weekend. In one inspired moment, fuelled by intensity, the big Aussie forward changed the course of Toronto Wolfpack's arm wrestle with the Widnes Vikings.
The first 50 minutes had produced a solitary try – and that only because of a dropped catch at the back, presenting Blake Wallace with a gift to scoop up the loose ball and run in unimpeded.
It was exactly what we expected. Two teams understanding the importance of the occasion and neither prepared to yield. Every metre of turf had to be earned in a physical and mental battle that had almost reached stalemate.
Lussick is not a man to be trifled with. At 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds he is an intimidating presence. His NRL career back in Australia is peppered with disciplinary issues going back several years. Lussick does not take prisoners.
He does what comes naturally. He gets in your way and drags you forcefully to the ground. His job may not be elegant or spectacular, but it is an absolutely essential part of the defensive armoury necessary to nullify opposition offence.
His key contribution in Newcastle was inspiring. An athlete, known for his crunching tackles, not his speed or dexterity, was charging. Like a rampaging bull, Lussick broke the Widnes line, gained more than 20 metres, handed off the ball and the deadlock was finally broken.
Intensity, adrenaline – it was a sight to behold. Lussick's supporting role opened the floodgates and effectively broke the Vikings' game spirit. Andy Ackers, the beneficiary of his surging run, scored a pair of tries and the Wolfpack eventually emerged comfortable winners.
WATCH | Ackers scores 2 tries in Wolfpack victory:
It was a significant statement. The Wolfpack are now in elite company – one of only two remaining teams with a perfect record through three rounds of the Betfred Championship. The other, the Sheffield Eagles, face Widnes this weekend, so it will be interesting to compare and contrast the outcome of that encounter.
Toronto has got used to having a target on its back. It was there from the get go in 2017 and continues to enlarge. Every other team and every other player craves the opportunity to bring down the Wolfpack. They will all get their chance, but they will also have to crack a defensive shell that has conceded only two tries in three games.
It is no surprise the coach is expecting improvement. Brian McDermott has seen his new team outthink, outscore and out-muscle its opponents but reckons it can be done more efficiently. McDermott believes it will be several more weeks before the Wolfpack will be firing on all cylinders.
A new — but familiar — face
That should be time enough to bring in another new recruit. McDermott, like so many coaches, has returned to his former team to raid the player pool. Irish international forward Anthony Mullally has left Leeds with whom he was a Super League Grand Final Champion in 2017.
The 'Vegan Warrior' is hungry. The 27-year-old Mullally, who maintains an entirely vegan diet, could conceivably make his Wolfpack debut on the weekend. Like Lussick, he's a man mountain and the 6-foot-5 redhead will be pretty difficult to miss.
The next test for the Wolfpack comes in the shape of the Leigh Centurions. Leigh's roster has been boosted by the arrival of a number of St Helens' players on dual registration, not to mention the speed of former Toronto winger Jonny Pownall.
He would like nothing more than the chance to score the winning try in the corner in the final minute. I imagine he's dreaming of receiving that final pass.
That, I submit, would require some intensity on Pownall's part.