NRL.com | Collins drives towards GF goal
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The chance to finally play in a grand final is driving Lindsay Collins as he looks to lead the Roosters past the Dolphins in Friday night's preliminary final.
Collins featured in the Roosters preliminary final victories in both 2018 and 2019 but was the unlucky man to drop out of the squad for the grand final the following week.
The prop was replaced by Dylan Napa in 2018, who made his return from a three-game ban, with Collins the odd-man out after Cooper Cronk made a miraculous recovery from a fractured shoulder blade. Twelve months later it was Jared Waerea-Hargreaves who was back from suspension for the decider forcing Collins out.
Match Highlights: Roosters v Raiders
A fresh-faced youngster at the time, the prop concedes he figured another shot at a grand final was just around the corner.
Instead it has been seven long years since the Roosters have featured on the first Sunday in October. According to stats compiled by rugby league historian David Middleton, Collins is the only player in the NRL era to have won two preliminary finals but not featured in a grand final.
While he can see the silver linings from the situation, Collins is desperate to lead the Roosters past the Dolphins and into his first decider.
"The thing is, if they don't get suspended, then I don't even get to experience a preliminary final and I don't get to be part of it," Collins told NRL.com. "I was fortunate to be a part of that because they were out.
"It was my second year in the NRL and I was playing finals and in a prelim. It was the same in '19, it was my third year in the NRL so I was just happy to be there.
"But where I am now in my career, it shows how hard it is to get there and these opportunities don't come by too often. I've learnt from that to make the most of what you have right now.
"Right now we have an opportunity and I've got to make the most of it."
Match: Dolphins v Roosters
Finals Week 3 -
home Team
Dolphins
3rd Position
away Team
Roosters
4th Position
Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Match broadcasters:
- WatchNRL
A Brisbane junior who has become a mainstay in the Queensland pack since his Origin debut in 2020, Collins will enjoy a homecoming on Friday night when the Roosters travel north to play the Dolphins at a sold-out Suncorp Stadium.
It's his first match at the ground since he suffered a concussion in a Round 17 victory over the Broncos.
The head knock ruled Collins out of the State of Origin decider and a specialist advised him to spend six weeks on the sidelines to give his body a chance to fully recover before returning to the field.
While frustrated to miss a number of important games, the 30-year-old used the period to set himself up for the Roosters' charge to the finals.
"I felt like I was coming into form after a slow start," Collins said. "With Origin and the Sharks game off the back of that I found a bit of form and then I got a knock.
"It is what it is. It was good at the time to know it was six weeks, I knew what I was dealt with and then could build a plan off the back of it. It was almost like a mini pre-season to get everything right and get ready for the back end of the year."
Given how close he came to a grand final earlier in his career, Collins doesn't need to be reminded about what's on the line on Friday night.
After winning back-to-back preliminary finals in 2018 and 2019, the prop's only other grand final qualifier was in 2024.
That appearance lasted just 18 seconds, Collins knocked out by a Nelson Asofa-Solomona high shot in a collision off the kick-off.
So while he's desperate to feature in his first grand final, the veteran is eager to avoid thinking too far ahead.
Lindsay Collins Try
"You can dream but I don't want to dream too far," Collins said. "The only thing that really matters is this week, otherwise the grand final is irrelevant.
"All I can do is focus on this week, I can't think too far ahead because there's no point. There's an opportunity in front of me and us right now and all we can do is go out there and give 100%. I don't want to give any energy to [next week], I'm all in for this week."
After 27 epic rounds, it all comes down to this. One play can define a season. These are the moments that matter. Don't miss a second of the action with kick-off at 7.50pm Sunday live on Nine, Kayo and Sky Sports.
