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You get the feeling Wade McKinnon doesn't particularly like talking about Brent Webb.
It's probably nothing personal. But McKinnon appears so fed up with answering questions about his predecessor as Warriors fullback that he can't even be bothered to mouth the usual platitudes about "Webb being a great player but hopefully I'll do a good job too etc etc".
"No," is all McKinnon says when asked if he'd given Webb much thought.
Fair enough. But surely he must be happy that his impressive trial performances have gone a long way towards winning the fans over?
"I don't know what the go is ... " is the exasperated reply.
"It would be good to get the fans behind me but I just want to win. To be honest, I don't think [the fans] are against me. I don't focus on that at all. I just focus on the training and the game, that's it."
Since debuting for Souths in 2002, the 26-year-old has made 77 NRL appearances, most of them for the side he'll be facing tonight, Parramatta Eels, where he spent the past four seasons.
He's rated as one of the best support players in the game but there's not exactly a lot of juicy titbits floating around about him. His Wikipedia profile states: "Wade McKinnon is a rugby league player". Getting much more out of the man himself is no easy task.
Wouldn't he like to write a few more lines into that profile? Origin player? Test player?
"I don't really look at that. I'm just out there to play, enjoy myself and win. I'm not worried about what's written on an internet board. It doesn't bother me one bit.
"I don't really let things get to me. We've just got to focus on what we've got to do. We've had a great pre-season and, if we focus on what we've got to do, then it's going to work. I really believe in the people that we've got around us."
He does have some personal goals. "There are a few I've got written down. I'll share them once I reach them."
McKinnon will be joined in the back three tonight at Mt Smart by another debutant, Michael Crockett, who has emerged from four months of pre-season training ahead of Todd Byrne and the injured Patrick Ah Van to claim a spot on the wing.
Things haven't come easy for Crockett, who turned 24 yesterday. He spent two years at the Dragons and another two at Melbourne Storm without making first grade. Last year, in his second season with Wests Tigers, he finally cracked the big time, scoring on debut in round one and notching seven tries overall in eight appearances in a season blighted by a hand injury.
"I've tried to put me head down, bum up and train hard to get a spot but, to get a spot this early, I'm pretty stoked, yeah," he said of his somewhat surprising selection.
"I've had to wait my turn. I've had a few injuries here and there that have set me back a bit but, now that I am there, I just want to make the most of it."
Crockett rates his strengths as "definitely my speed, finishing off tries, creating things and getting the team on the front foot from kick returns".
Has he always been quick?
"Oh yeah."
Sounds exciting. So is he excited? Nervous?
"Yes and no. I'm nervous about performing good and holding my spot down. There are a few wingers [in the team] so you don't want to take a backward step and let someone else jump into your spot."
So he'll be playing every game as though it might be his last then?
'Totally, that's the way I'm looking at it."
