Hogg looks forward to Newcastle challenge
Ally Hogg says he is looking forward to playing for Newcastle in the Premiership and linking up with coach Alan Tait.
Tait is well known for pushing Scottish players through the ranks of a club and in to the national team. Hogg is a quality addition to the Newcastle team and a welcome arrival ahead of what looks set to be the toughest season in Premiership history.
It seems that Tait was instrumental in getting the player to move to Newcastle and the only factor why the player seems to have joined the club. He says he is grateful for the chance to play in one of the best leagues in Europe.
Hogg has a number of playing qualities that should mean he settles down quickly at the club. It's also important to consider the dangers of his international vision because he has to be successful at the club first.
Hogg's playing qualities
Hogg played a lot of games for Edinburgh in the Magners League before making the switch to Newcastle. This is a tough league to play in and can be very physical meaning that Hogg will not be out of his depth and has the experience needed to do well in the Premiership.
He has good pace for someone who is quite a big person. This should ensure that he can get himself out of trouble in all areas of the pitch and he's also strong enough to make a few tackles of his own when necessary.
He clearly has ambition and has already said that he wants to use Newcastle as the platform from which he jumps up to the Scotland national set-up. This drive and determination can cause a player to raise his levels of play.
He said: "The boys have been training hard, so it’s been tough trying to keep up with that coming in a bit later, but it’s been an enjoyable start. It’s up to me to put it in now though, to win the respect of my new team-mates. I spoke to Taity about Scotland when I signed, and he’s more than happy for me to keep pushing for that."
Club before country
It's very important that Hogg does not focus too much on his Scotland ambitions and remembers that he still has a job to do at club level. His comments so far have all been about playing for Scotland and this could create the wrong impression in the minds of Newcastle fans.
He cannot take anything for granted because the only way he will get a place in the Scotland side is through playing well for Newcastle. If he annoys anyone at the club then they will go out of their way to make it as difficult as possible for him to get in to the team.
He added: "If the club starts performing and I can win a regular place in the team here, which is first and foremost the priority, if I am going well then hopefully I’ll be in with a shout. I’m feeling good and certainly when I made my comeback I had the excitement of returning to rugby again."
Betting advice
Hogg seems like a very good player but it's important not to start branding him as a selfish and ignorant player. A lot of players have international aspirations and they all have to play well for their clubs first.
It's unlikely that Newcastle are going to win the title this season but Hogg will have to score points and assists to get noticed by Scotland. Take advantage of this and back him to do well in Newcastle games at the start of the Premiership campaign.
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