St Helens star Lachlan Coote isn’t letting the coronavirus lockdown stop him from keeping his kicking skills in top order.
As well as scoring 16 tries, the Australian fullback booted 117 goals in 27 matches last year, his first in England, including five out of five in the 23-6 Super League Grand Final win over Salford at Old Trafford.
And the Scotland and Great Britain international, who turned 30 today (Monday), has rigged up a practice area in his back garden.
“I’ve hung up a blanket that I can kick into, and it’s good to keep myself ticking over,” explained the fullback, who was signed from North Queensland Cowboys by former head coach Justin Holbrook.
“I go for a daily run, and I also follow a weights programme, and while it’s not the same as rocking up to training each day with the boys, it means I can keep myself ticking over and stay positive.”
Coote, who was signed as a replacement for the mercurial Ben Barba, played 167 times in the NRL, making 83 appearances for Penrith Panthers before joining the Cowboys ahead of the 2014 campaign.
He played a key role in North Queensland’s 2015 Grand Final-winning season and helped his side beat Leeds 38-4 at Headingley in February 2016 to win the World Club Challenge.
Coote, who is from Windsor, New South Wales and has also played for the City Origin and Prime Minister’s XIII teams, made his three Scotland appearances in the 2016 Four Nations tournament and was man of the match in the surprise 18-18 draw with New Zealand at Workington.
His sole Great Britain appearance came in the 14-6 defeat by Tonga in Hamilton, New Zealand in November.
