Mentally strong Schiller growing from tough start

When he watches a replay of his performance in Newcastle’s 26-22 extra-time victory over Manly at McDonald Jones Stadium on Thursday night, Knights winger James Schiller will reflect on the ugly, the bad and, ultimately, the good. 

Reversing the order of the title of that classic Clint Eastwood western, Schiller recovered from a first-half shocker to play a starring role in Newcastle’s prime-time thriller. 

Trailing 16-0 at half-time, the Knights were booed from the field by some of their fans, and Schiller could have been excused for not wanting to return for the second half, but the night ended with cheers, “Newcastle” chants, and a standing ovation.

Starting at left centre to allow for the return of winger Greg Marzhew, Schiller missed tackles, dropped passes, and was reported for a high tackle on Manly’s Clayton Faulalo. 

Knights coach Adam O’Brien moved him back to the right wing in the second half and, despite another handling error from a loose carry and a forward pass intended for inside support runners, Schiller scored one and set up another of their five second-half tries.

His diving, somersaulting try in the corner tied the scores at 16-16 midway through the second half, then his redemption was complete with the final pass for Fletcher Sharpe to score in the 74th minute and ultimately force extra time at 22-22. 

“I mean, it was pretty clear to see I was probably having a bit of a difficult time in that first half. You don’t have to be a genius to see that,” Schiller told reporters after full-time. 

“But like the coach said to me, and like everyone’s said, it’s just footy. You’re gonna have an off day here and there. It just happens. 

“I think the most important thing is how you bounce back. 

“Yeah, I did get moved to that right wing, but I think I bounced back and I was pretty resilient with what I ended up producing on the wing. 

“Not everything was perfect, I definitely had one of those games, but that’s the thing – it's just one of those games – and you shake it off and focus on next week.” 

O’Brien was concerned about the impact of Schiller’s errors on his confidence levels, so the coach moved him back to the right wing outside veteran centre Dane Gagai and shifted four-game rookie Fletcher Hunt to left centre. 

The switch proved a masterstroke, not only for Schiller, but also for 19-year-old Hunt who caught a Jack Cogger bomb to score Newcastle’s second try and, in extra time, batted back Kalyn Ponga’s speculative kick for Ponga to score the match-winner.

“I was a little bit worried there,” O’Brien said. 

“He (Schiller) was looking at the ground a little bit, and at half-time we switched sides and got some early ball out there to ‘Gags’, which brought ‘Schill’ into the game. 

“He came up with a great try there in the corner, and he’s been giving us some moments in games there, where it just looks like nothing’s happening then he just busts out of a tackle. 

“He should be really proud of himself. Footy’s not always going to be perfect, and you’re gonna have days like that – he came up with a couple of errors – but it’s how we respond. 

“That’s all we’ve spoken about, how we respond after last week, and how we handle this adversity. This is probably the hardest time that I’ve been involved at the club, in terms of injuries and suspensions. 

“It’s hard, but how we react, how we respond, a bit like Jimmy there, how he reacts and responds, that will see us through. It’s a good lesson for him and us.”

Schiller, in his first year in Newcastle after three seasons at Canberra, felt heartened by the support of his coach and team-mates. 

“That’s a really big positive for me. I was pretty upset with how I performed in that first half and not even focusing on the second half,” Schiller said. 

“But to have the coach of the team come out and say he was proud of what I did and how I bounced back, if I don’t take that with two hands, I don’t know what I’m doing. 

“Look, I’ll brush off that first half. At the end of the day, it’s only footy – I didn’t kill anyone – and there’s a lot worse things going on in the world.” 

Schiller said he could not recall a tougher half of football in his 27-game NRL career but will use it as a “reality check” and a reminder to remain humble.