Last updated 16:01, Wednesday, 04 June 2008

MY goodness, he can definitely make it. That’s the opinion of Phil Kitchin, one of the most naturally talented footballers in chocolate blue and gold history. No prizes for guessing who he’s talking about.

Magical Gregg McNally is still the talk of the town. There was already a lot of talk about him but didn’t the 17-year-old prove he could walk the walk.

He’s also toast of the town but, as ex-Great Britain prop and Sky TV pundit Terry O'Connor, said: “I’d buy the lad a drink if he was old enough.”

What next? Will it be another case of “After The Lord Mayor’s Show,” when Haven return to Recre action in a vital clash with Featherstone on Sunday?

Surely not. Ged Stokes’ men (and boys!) are on a high and wasn’t it nice to see the hard-edged Kiwi give a little jump for joy amid the understandable euphoria of taking Salford’s prize scalp which gladdened the hearts of supporters and club directors.

The teenage prodigy Gregg was first to acknowledge that the team came first. “It’s a 17-man game, the side pulled it out big style,” he told TV viewers.

There’s a saying in sport that “you are only as good as your last game” and that applies to everybody.

McNally (more excited than nervous) was magic all right but there’s no doubt he has the temperament and maturity not to get carried away. His feet, and those of his team mates, must stay on the ground and heads out of the clouds so Haven can soar up the table.

I can’t recall a more impressive debut by a Whitehaven player, young or old. So much for a baptism of fire! How Gregg and his veteran half-back partner Tane Manihera burned off their celebrated opposite numbers Richard Myler and the charistmatic Robbie Paul. Robbie praised Gregg’s virtuoso No 7 hat-trick performance and Tane certainly made any critics eat their words.

Is there a touch of the older Danny Cipriani about him? And not just for his natural ability. Authority, assurance and an awareness of space were there in spades – what rugby men call the top three inches!

The measure of any class footballer is that he has time to make things look easy and create something special out of seemingly nothing.

You have to think back to the halcyon days of “Sol” Roper and “Boxer” Walker, not forgetting the likes of Joe Bonner (Whitehaven & Wakefield) and Craig Murdock (Wigan) to recall such precocious talent at such a tender age from a local scrum-half.

Phil Kitchin, who partnered both Roper and Walker during his own illustrious career, was making his own debut for Whitehaven at the age of 18 and being capped in a great Cumberland county side soon afterwards.

Kitch was among the first to congratulate the latest rookie starlet last Thursday night – he knows him well especially as son, Wayne, was his Kells under-16s mentor.

But the former Great Britain stand-off, who was one of the first to coach schoolboys in the Whitehaven area, offered some very sound words of advice to Gregg such as ‘it won’t always happen like this.’

“The boy just looks a natural,” said Kitch. “What impresses me as much as anything is that he’s prepared to take somebody on, something we haven’t been seeing too much of at Whitehaven.

“On top of beating a man, he has balance and pace which can always make a difference. On top of this, Gregg can tackle and also has the confidence to control a game. He’ll need to build his strength but not enough to take away any of his speed. I wasn’t any bigger when I was his age.

“This young ‘un has it all to play for but, as a team player, he will need to be patient and wait for the moment. You can be having what seems to be a fairly quiet time but every star shines through once in a game.”

It’s hard to imagine the accomplished sixth former going back into the reserves but Haven will lose him for a month in July when he goes to Leeds for trials, where it’s a different rugby world.

Gregg has the chance to learn a lot from Rob Burrow, now the game’s top No 7, but let’s hope that it won’t turn his head and he’ll want to stay here and learn his craft.

Super League clubs are already casting some covetous eyes but the Whitehaven School tyro does seem have chocolate blue and gold coursing through his veins.

Haven will be pulling out all the stops to keep hold of Gregg and the other talented Academy kids – so the watchword is hands off!