It's a shame we can't enjoy and celebrate that victory over the Warriors longer but it's now time to switch focus and look towards the clash against the Dragons this Saturday in Rockhampton. Not sure if this is the first ever game in Rocky but if not, it's certainly the first one this year so really cool for the locals there to get a live game. Hopefully it brings a packed house on a Saturday arvo and hopefully it brings plenty of Souths fans.
On another note, it's hard to believe it's Round 20 and yet, this is the first Regular Season game we've played against St George Illawarra. They are a traditional rival of ours, one of our biggest rivals and that rivalry stretches all the way back to 1920, 100 years ago, when the St George dragons were established. Since then, the rivalry has been fierce and I expect that to be no different this week. The Dragons are really struggling currently. Facing BBQ-gate and slipping down the ladder, they're facing the prospect of their Finals hopes slipping away. However, in my eyes, it makes them a little dangerous. The fact remains that they are still a top eight team currently so this is a top eight clash and thus, a test for us. That will make them super desperate to hang onto that spot and every game from now on is so, so crucial. They still have plenty of stars in their side who can hurt you on their day. Dufty, Norman, Hunt to name a few, and their forward pack is not bad at all. No idea who they'll be missing this week due to BBQ-gate suspensions but we'll wait and see.
For us, this week is once again all about attitude. We showed last week that our attitude was right as we put the cleaners through a side and really turned it on. Well, this week we must get that attitude right again. We can't take the Dragons lightly and we have to turn up on Saturday looking to work hard for a win. This week is all about building on last week and that performance means nothing if you can't back it up in this one. It's the time of year where you begin to dial things up towards the Finals, we certainly did that last week and we need to continue to do that against the Dragons and that starts with our attitude. I'm still not happy with our defence, we still have that soft try conceded in us so defence should be a big focus, gotta tidy that up and we now have six games to get it right. Significantly, we'll be without Cam Murray and if there's any doubt over Reyno or Cody, they should be rested as well. I'm confident we can cover their losses against the Dragons if need be.
So a really exciting clash this week that as always, means a lot! Saturday can't come soon enough!