FRIDAY night footy against the red hot Bulldogs – bring it on!
As a sportsman, there is nothing better than testing yourself against the best and, in my eyes, the Bulldogs are one of the very best teams in the Telstra Premiership.
They are the form team of the competition and are running second on the ladder, just behind the Melbourne Storm, who they beat in Mackay in their last match.
The Bulldogs have a very big forward pack, which if allowed to dominate up front, will provide plenty of room for their talented backs and, in particular, fullback Ben Barba.
Barba is a real excitement machine but I hope he doesn’t fire too much at Allianz Stadium this Friday night.
Like the Bulldogs, we head into the match on the back of a bye last weekend but the difference is they are going into the match on the back of the win over the Storm while we are going in on the back of a very disappointing loss to Newcastle away.
To lead 14-0 early and then allow 38points to be put on us was not acceptable.
We are still hurting from that loss and I speak on behalf of all the players when I say Friday can’t come quickly enough for the chance to redeem ourselves.
What a big game it will be, too.
The Bulldogs and Wests Tigers encounters are always enthralling matches and there is a good healthy rivalry between the two clubs.
For us, it is about going back to the fundamentals and sticking to the game plan that coach Tim Sheens gives us.
It worked so well in our seven-game winning streak but for some reason or another, we went away from it in periods during our last two losses.
We know the Bulldogs fans will be out in force so I challenge Wests Tigers supporters to not be outnumbered on our home turf.
We need you to help lift us in what I’m sure will be one of the games of the year.
To help make it easier for families to attend, Wests Tigers are offering the chance for supporters to buy kids’ general admission tickets for just $5. Details: weststigers.com.au.