Laurie ready to step up in attack

Wests Tigers fullback Daine Laurie has put his hand up to inject himself more in attack and to be vocal on the field.

Now 21 games into his young NRL career, Laurie is ready for more responsibility in attack as he looks to build on his combination with halves Adam Doueihi and Luke Brooks.

“I want to be more on the ball and more vocal … I need to inject myself more into the game to take the pressure off Doueihi and ‘Brooksy’,” Laurie said.

“I’m looking to work on my combinations so we can finish the season strong.

“I’ll let Brooksy run the show and I’ll chime in when needed.”

Having scored 88 points in the past three weeks, Laurie is not at all concerned about his side’s attacking ability but pointed their focus towards improving in defence — having conceded an average of 42 points across the past five games.

“We’ve been building combinations at training. It’s all starting to come together,” the gun rookie said.

“We need to fix up our defensive structures and connect a little bit more. I reckon our attack will come off the back of that.

“We need to go into games with a defensive mindset.”

Sitting two wins outside the top eight with six rounds to play, Laurie is still optimistic his side can make a run for the finals — and he understands Friday night’s clash with the Warriors is a vital encounter.

“There’s still belief in the side. We need to keep building,” he said.

“If we can keep working hard for each other, the results will come.

“We know it’s a bit game and we’re looking forward to getting back out there.”