GARETH ELLIS: DON'T FEAR THE AUSSIES

GARETH ELLIS will never forget the greeting he got when he moved to Australia this year.

"Let's rattle that f***ing Ellis, he's a faggot."

It was a threat to be feared, seeing as it was bellowed by Australia's wildest forward Willie Mason.

The 6ft 4in, 18-stone giant continued all game with the verbals and rough physical treatment - and England star Ellis knew he could either sink or swim.

After all, Mason was famous for knocking out England hardman Stuart Fielden with one stunning punch during the 2006 Tri-Nations.

With his reputation on the line, Ellis took everything Mason threw at him. And, in that one game, he took a huge step towards becoming a Pommie success Down Under.

It's a lesson Ellis hopes England will take on board when they kick off the Four Nations tournament on Friday.

After mixing it for a year with his new club Wests Tigers in the NRL, 28-year-old Ellis believes there is no reason to fear anybody.

He said: "Before I went out to Australia, I was a bit in awe of the Aussies and wondered if I'd be good enough. It was an anxious time and I was certainly worried that I was putting my reputation on the line.

"Then I came up against Mason and the TV mics picked up him saying 'Let's rattle that f***ing Ellis, he's a faggot'.

"Willie's known for his colourful language and he was getting into me all through the game with the verbals, most of it along the same lines.

"He was trying to psych me out but I actually enjoyed it. It didn't work at all and I enjoyed knowing I could handle it."

After surviving that baptism of fire against the Sydney Roosters, Ellis realised he'd been mad to look on the Aussies as superstars. He said: "A lot of English fans and players see them as superhuman but they make mistakes like everybody else."

The former Leeds and Wakefield star decided to match fire with fire and let the Aussies worry about him instead, after a chat with former England star Keith Senior.

He added: "When I'd told the Leeds lads that I was going to play in Australia, Keith told me, 'That's great because you get to bash the Aussies every week'.

"That's the sort of attitude I took on and my first year has gone a lot better than I could have hoped or imagined.

"Now I feel very confident about England's chances in the Four Nations because I've seen all the Aussies and Kiwis close up.

"They're only human and I've been getting the message across to my England team-mates that they can be vulnerable."

Ellis was voted player of the year at the Tigers and hopes he has helped boost England's reputation in the eyes of the Aussies.

He said: "Their internationals knew who I was but a lot of other players didn't, even though I'd won a lot of caps for England and Great Britain.

"But that's the Aussies for you. Even though New Zealand won the World Cup last year, the Aussies still think they are the best in the world.

"There's an arrogance about them and it really gets me angry that a lot of them look down on us.

"Their perception of Super League is limited to how England play and we didn't do ourselves justice in the World Cup. It was probably the lowest I've ever felt because we'd had such high expectations of ourselves."

England are rated third in the tournament, ahead only of whipping boys France, but Ellis is convinced they can upset the odds.

He said: "It would rank as one of my best ever achievements if we won. I'm really enjoying my time in Australia, but it would be even better if I could go back as a Four Nations champion."

Ellis's girlfriend, Rachel, is expecting their first child in February and he's due to be born in Australia.

But Ellis insists he'll be brought up as a proud Pom, saying: "He'd play for England, not Australia, without a doubt!"

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