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Blake Ferguson is set to make his NRL comeback against the Dragons. Source: Gregg Porteous / News Limited
ANTHONY Mundine has revealed his bold plan to get a resurrected Blake Ferguson into the Australian World Cup team, insisting: "My little cousin's gunna become the best centre anywhere on the planet."
With Ferguson on Saturday returning to rugby league, Mundine has opened up to The Daily Telegraph about a private mentoring role that has seen the wayward 23-year-old boxing, working with community groups, even "studying" champions like NFL great Ray Lewis.
After hosting the dumped NSW Origin star at his home for a month, Mundine says the pair will now continue their process daily via telephone with the aim of getting him into a Kangaroos jersey by October.
"With a strong mind Blake Ferguson will be the best centre on the planet," Mundine says. "Not a good centre, not a great centre, but the best centre anywhere.
"So my focus, it's to get him right mentally. To get his head strong. I've been teaching him my philosophies on mental strength so that, when the time comes, he is going to make the right choices.
"And believe me when I say he will; that he's turned the corner . . . I'm expecting nothing but greatness from now on."
And to help that push, Mundine has made his cousin research two of the athletes he himself most admires, Baltimore Ravens star Ray Lewis and champion bodybuilder CT Fletcher.
Among the greatest linebackers of all time, Lewis overcame a turbulent personal history broken home, drug issues, even charges related to an Atlanta double murder before leading his beloved Ravens to a Super Bowl triumph in February.
Ironically, the committed Christian, who now works as an analyst for ESPN, is also tattooed onto the leg of Ferguson's famed drinking buddy, St George Illawarra fullback Josh Dugan.
Fletcher, meanwhile, is arguably the strongest bloke you never knew.
Raised, like the Raiders star, in a troubled household, the Compton product also found his own way out through, first, bodybuilding and more recently by teaching others the secrets that once saw him bench 330kg and curl 100kg.
"Dude wanted to get 22 inch biceps, naturally, and didn't stop until he got there," Mundine explains of Fletcher. "The guy's an absolute beast who believes if you wanna get anywhere in life, you work your arse off.
"And you know Ray Lewis, of course. Know what sort of mental approach he brought to sport, to life, to success generally.
"My favourite Lewis quote is that greatness comes from doing all the little things well, from stacking them all up one on top of another. And that's the key lesson Blake needs to learn.
"You can have all the ability, all the talent, but if your life isn't right everywhere, if you don't have every one of those little blocks, you can never achieve greatness."
Exactly where Ferguson plays on Saturday is the subject of conjecture, with rumours late last night suggesting the indigenous flyer will start with Canberra feeder side Mounties in the NSW Cup match against Canterbury.
The other option fronting Raiders coach Dave Furner, of course, is to rush his centre straight back into the match against St George Illwarra at WIN Stadium from 5.30pm.
Regardless, Mundine has no doubt his cousin will immediately regain the form that saw him catapulted into a NSW Origin jersey for the opening game of this year's series.
"Blake's going to come back with so much oomph," the Redfern fighter enthused. "He is so fresh right now, so rested . . . it's going to be a great thing for the Raiders, like his season has started all over again."
When asked if, as a noted teetotaller, Mundine expected his young cousin to give up grog, he continued: "If I had my way, Blake would never drink again.
"But given what he's been through, the culture he's been in, I understand that asking something like that of him is extremely difficult. So if he does have a beer, he needs to understand the right way to go about it.
"Blake has to know that, with Greg Inglis moving to fullback, I honestly believe he and Justin Hodges are now the best centres in the game. But does he want to go the next step? Does he want to be the greatest centre in the world?"
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