By Jon Geddes; Image J.B Photography

A TALENTED 19-year-old hooker cut from the Australian Under 20 training squad for the World Cup responded in the best way possible with an eye-catching Shute Shield debut for West Harbour in their 16-14 win over Manly last weekend.

And Albert “Bertie” Alcock will back up again in the engine room for Wests on Saturday as the competition’s quiet achievers, who have snuck up into fifth spot on the ladder, take on Gordon at Concord Oval.

While it was a huge step up from the Wests Colts into first grade, especially in the front row, Alcock repaid the faith shown in him by coach Cam Treloar.

He is certainly a player to watch as he develops over the coming seasons.

“It wasn’t too bad, it was a bit more physical because they are a bit older,” Alcock told Rugby News of his first Shute Shield appearance.

And Treloar’s support helped take away the nerves that Alcock would have understandably felt.

“ ‘Tree’ (Treloar) made me feel pretty comfortable, he had a bit of trust in me so I felt pretty comfortable going out there,” he said.

And he said the vastly experienced prop Cam Betham packing down alongside him made his job a lot easier.

THE CORRECT ANSWER        

ALCOCK’S performance also said a lot about his character as it came after losing his spot in the Australian Under 20s training squad for their camp last weekend.

If anything, it only fuelled the fire in Alcock’s belly.

“I was saying to ‘Tree’, I think it was a bit of a kick up the arse I kind of needed which will hopefully show in the next couple of rounds,” he admitted.

Treloar said Alcock’s effort against the Marlins was a good response from the disappointment he would have felt.

“He definitely wasn’t kicking stones,” the coach said. “He had a fantastic  game in his first grade starting debut on the weekend and this is a really good experience for him to play at that level.”

After playing Colts the previous week, Alcock got his call-up after hooker Raukawa Neems was sidelined for six weeks with a torn hamstring.

Treloar was confident Alcock would be up to the task.

“We gave him some time in the trials against Hunter, who have one of the best scrums going around, and he was reasonably good in that game,” he said. “So we were happy to back him.” 

A HARD MAN        

THE coach sees Alcock as a player with the potential to really kick on in his career.  

“Bertie’s got the work ethic for it, absolutely, and he’s got the desire,” Treloar said.

“He’s really pushing himself hard and he’s hard on himself when he trains. And that is the part that sort of makes or breaks players.”

Treloar likened Alcock as a player to the livewire Waratahs and Gordon hooker Mahe Vailanu, who is making a real impact in Super Rugby.       

“He’s a dynamic ballcarrier and has good skill,” Treloar said.    

And the young forward is thriving in the environment that Treloar has created at Concord.

“I think everyone is buying in, which is a good culture to be a part of,” Alcock said.

And he will go into Saturday’s game against Gordon knowing a lot more about what to expect after his journey into the unknown last weekend.

 UPS AND DOWNS  

DESPITE their encouraging start, Treloar has pinpointed the main area that Wests must improve – and it  has been an ongoing issue for Wests over the years.

“We are hanging in there, getting some wins at home, getting some losses away,” he said.

“We probably need to be a bit more consistent.

“Wests have always been able to beat anybody on their day. But as everyone knows, with the competition as tight as it is, we can’t afford to be up and down.”

And Treloar is under no illusions his side has to be very much up on Saturday against the Highlanders following their club’s well-documented early season upheavals.

“They are a great side and are very well coached,” he said. “They have made two grand finals in a row, they are pretty settled with how they play footy, they are very comfortable with it.

“There is nothing new about how they are playing, they are basically just putting polish on what they have been doing for the last two years.”