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Lee Blackett: I aim to play my part in Leeds Carnegie’s big finish
IN CONTENTION: Lee Blackett has struggled with a knee problem this season, but was back in action for the win over Bedford last weekend.
Lee Blackett is the first to acknowledge that he hasn’t been firing on all cylinders this season.
Hampered by a nagging knee problem, the 29-year-old has struggled to hit the fast lane with Leeds Carnegie, much to the long-serving three-quarter’s frustration.
But Blackett, who along with veteran prop Mike MacDonald is seeking a third promotion with Carnegie after the silverware campaigns of 2006-07 and 2008-09, is well aware of the maxim that it’s not about how you start the season, but how you finish it.
From both a personal and team perspective, Blackett – now fully fit – is hoping that opportunity finally knocks for him ahead of the business end of the campaign, while being confident that his best is ahead of him.
Wilderness
Blackett, restored to the starting line-up for last Sunday’s key win over Bedford Blues after a spell in the winter wilderness, said: “It’s been very frustrating for me. It didn’t really help that earlier on in the season, I was struggling with a knee injury which I picked up in pre-season and was only probably playing at 70 per cent.
“It’s only in the past month that I’ve actually fully recovered from it after having some injections.
“it’s been disappointing, so I was really happy to be back out there on Sunday.
“Obviously, gearing up to the play-ofs, I want to be fully involved.
“I’d not been playing for the previous month (until Sunday) and it’s been a case of getting my head down and trying to force myself back into the reckoning.
“I got the opportunity against Bedford and I felt like I took it – it’s about doing that week-in, week-out now and helping the club to realise their ambitions of getting promoted again.”
Sunday’s 21-17 victory was Carnegie’s eighth league success by a margin of five points or less this term, with Diccon Edwards’ troops having developed a happy knack of coming out on the right side of close encounters, a nice habit to have going into the business end of the campaign.
Ice-cool young full-back Tommy Bell, not for the first time this season, took the plaudits for a consummate goal-kicking performance which saw him score all the hosts’ points.
But Blackett insists the accolades deserved to be shared around in the camp as Carnegie secured a seasonal double over the Blues and delivered the sort of determined display they will need to replicate in their final three matches of the regular season, in particular in two exacting away tests this month at Nottingham and London Welsh.
Blackett said: “It’s a team game and you have to earn penalties. But Tommy did his job again and held his nerve.
“We’ve had close home games all season and we’ve got over the line in most of them. it shows we are learning all the time, especially, when you consider how young our squad is.
“It’s one thing we can be really proud of this season.
“We just feel, especially at home, that we are going to win these tight games. We probably kicked the ball too much in the first half, but we sorted it out and in the second half I thought we controlled things really well.
“We know that not putting teams away has been one negative. We need to brush up on our finishing, but when it comes to play-offs and semi-finals time, it’s all about winning.”
Blackett added: “Everyone talks about building for the play-offs. But all the building should have already been done.
“In the next three games, we need to get that winning mentality and treat the games as if they are play-off matches already.
“When you start thinking about future games in the play-offs, you can go off the boil.
“We know we’ve got a tough run to the end of the season, starting at Nottingham, which will be massive as they are in very good form.
“We’ve got two really tough away games with having to go to London Welsh as well as they were among the favourites to go up at the start of the season.”
Blackett was not the only “old stager” to take plenty from Sunday’s victory, with the game also a milestone moment for Jon Pendlebury, who made his long-awaited first team return from the replacement bench after a nightmare time on the sidelines.
And Blackett, team-mates with Pendlebury at the start of their careers together at Rotherham Titans, was delighted for the strapping lock.
He said: “Jon does a lot of work off the field and it’s great to see him back on it.
“He’s one of the most professional – if not the most professional guy – you will ever meet off the field.”
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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