This is it. That's right, this is it. This is the moment, the business end of the Season. The moment where the outcome is decided by moments. This is what we have been working all year for. We're there and we deserve to be. Every win, every loss, every bit of joy, every bit of heartbreak, every moment over this Season years has led to this, to the 2022 NRL Telstra Premiership Finals Series. That's right, Finals Footy is here and its business time.
The stakes could literally not be any higher as we take on our arch-rivals once again, the Roosters, in an Elimination Final on Sunday afternoon. It doesn't get much bigger than that for a Finals game that's for sure. Sudden-death Footy for two teams who absolutely hate each other. In fact, that is not even a strong enough word to describe how I feel, how our club feels, about these wankers from Bondi. I find it hard to put into words my hatred for them. There's certainly no love lost right now, in fact, I don't think the animosity between our two clubs has ever been more intense than it is right now. When you consider everything that's happened between us in the past two years, and now throw in the fact this is Finals, the animosity has never been greater.
This is tough to say because I do despise them, but you do have to admit, the Roosters have a good side and are no doubt one of the form teams of the competition. Beating them this week to progress is going to be a massive challenge and it's going to take everything we can muster. They got us last week, but I feel we really kept our powder dry in that one and this week will be completely different. Hopefully that result lulls them into a false sense of security and they come in overconfident and arrogant. They do have stars all across the park that we need to do a better job on, but I think the main battle comes through the middle. We were belted through there on Friday, and we can't afford to do that again with everything on the line. Get physical, lift your levels and we can win that battle. Do that, and it will go a long way to us progressing.
For us, it's about finally putting it all together and not holding back. As I said before, I think we held back last week and well, now is the time to explode. It's Finals time, there's no second chances, so we need to go out there and go hard. I'm confident that on our day, if we get it right, no one can beat us, and we can give this comp a real shake. It's just a matter of whether we beat ourselves. Senior players need to stand up, particularly Latrell in his first ever Finals game for Souths. He is the key; he can carry us to glory if he wants to. I'm also looking for more physicality and more emotion this time out. It's fair to say we were pretty flat, hopefully by design last week but now is the time to unleash the beast. We need to be up for this emotionally too, not over-do it, but play with emotion as we always should against the Chooks. As I said, it's going to be a big challenge, but we can do it!
I'd love nothing more than to knock our neighbors out and give them a big up yours!! Whatever happens, another chapter in the Book of Feuds will be written and 114 years of hate and animosity will grow even stronger. Let's goooooo!!
