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AAP | 14/05/08 | 0
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Penrith coach Matt Elliott summed up his feelings in one word after the man his club let go – Peter Wallace – was named as NSW halfback yesterday: “bugger”.
Elliott admitted he would love Wallace to still be at the club, but denied responsibility for letting the young gun go to Brisbane.
Wallace went to the Broncos after signing a deal worth more than twice Penrith’s offer.
"I wish he was still here," Elliott told Fairfax.
"The reality is that at the time, Craig Gower was contracted to us. It is no secret that he was on quite a large salary and we simply could not afford to keep Pete.
"We wanted him. I would have loved for him to stay here, but we only had two options: lose him or breach the salary cap.
"Pete got a very big offer, double what we could afford, and the kid had no choice - and I respect that it makes a great story that we weren't interested in him, but that is just not the truth. All I can say is 'bugger'."
The switch to Brisbane has clearly worked wonders for Wallace, who is as shocked as anyone else about his rise to the top.
"It's a chance," he told Fairfax. "I've just got to take it with two hands … I've wanted to play Origin forever.
"At the start of the year I didn't even think about it, I was happy to be at Brisbane starting at halfback… I didn't think about any rep footy, let alone Origin.
"It's been obviously a pretty good move going up there; we're going well in the comp."
Elliott said Wallace’s cool head would help him to handle the step up to Origin football, comparing his playing style to that of cricketer Mark Waugh.
"He will be fine, he is a level-headed kid," Elliott said.
"He is a smart footballer, he is very gifted and trains hard. He has great skills, he is a little bit like Mark Waugh in the sense that he has got a lot of time on the ball."
I wish he was still here... All I can say is 'bugger'.
Panthers coach Matt Elliott
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