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Brent Read From: The Australian September 01, 2011 12:00AM
South Sydney halfback Chris Sandow sharpens his goal-kicking skills at Redfern Oval yesterday Picture: Gregg Porteous Source: The Daily Telegraph
CHRIS Sandow will miss the banter in the dressing room. He will miss his "big brother" John Sutton.
He thinks South Sydney owner Russell Crowe will miss him. But Friday night is not about who will miss whom next season. It's about this season and making sure the Rabbitohs don't miss their last chance to clinch a place in the top eight.
As he comes to the end of his career at the Rabbitohs -- he will join Parramatta next season on a lucrative multi-year deal -- Sandow is intent on exiting the club having played in the finals.
To do that, he and his teammates must find a way past Newcastle at Ausgrid Stadium.
It shapes as a winner-takes-all contest. The victor will play finals football, most likely against Melbourne at AAMI Park. The loser will begin planning Mad Monday.
"It's going to be emotional on Friday night," Sandow said yesterday. "Hopefully it's not my last. I am going to give it 100 per cent like the rest of the boys. I am feeling confident and so are the boys. We just have to hold the ball and play our own game and we can do really well against the Knights."
The Knights have lost their past three games, but a single win would almost certainly have booked them a place in the finals at South Sydney's expense.
Yet they shape as a difficult proposition given the final home game of the season is celebrated as old boy's day by Newcastle. Former players form a guard of honour for the current team. Their presence whips the crowd and the players into a frenzy. Add to that the absence of Souths strike weapon Greg Inglis and it leaves the Rabbitohs facing an uphill task. On the plus side, their form in recent weeks, last weekend's loss to Brisbane excluded, has been exhilarating.
"We have more strike weapons than those guys," Sandow said. "We just have to hold the ball and get out with a win."
As for Inglis's absence, Sandow said: "We have been winning games without GI there too."
Sandow has even allowed himself the luxury of looking beyond Friday night and the potential match-up with the Storm in round one of the finals.
"We're going to be really confident going into Friday night's game, hopefully win and go down to Melbourne and give it to those guys," Sandow said. "We don't really care who we play. We have to go out there and play South Sydney's game, do it for each other and I am sure we will win every game we play."
In Sandow's favour is the return of Sutton, who missed the loss to the Broncos with a broken hand. Prolific fullback Nathan Merritt also was absent and his comeback gives the side a potent try-scorer. "It's going to be good to have big Sutts back and the Shark -- Nathan Merritt -- swooping around in the middle looking to sniff out tries," Sandow said.
"I can't wait to play with them this week. I was running around like a headless chook against the Broncos trying to do everything.
"Sutts has been good for me since I started here at Souths. He is like a big brother. He has been really good for my football and helped me out."
Which makes Sandow's impending departure all the more difficult to take. Asked what he would miss about Souths, he said: "Just the boys. It's a funny bunch of blokes here. I really enjoy the boys' company. I see them every day and sometimes they get under my skin, but I get under their skin most of the time.
"It breaks my heart in the sheds every time we do lose, with the boys' heads down. That breaks me in pieces when that happens. That's why I try my best each and every week."
http://www.theAustralian.com.au/news...-1226126808237
South Sydney halfback Chris Sandow sharpens his goal-kicking skills at Redfern Oval yesterday Picture: Gregg Porteous Source: The Daily Telegraph
CHRIS Sandow will miss the banter in the dressing room. He will miss his "big brother" John Sutton.
He thinks South Sydney owner Russell Crowe will miss him. But Friday night is not about who will miss whom next season. It's about this season and making sure the Rabbitohs don't miss their last chance to clinch a place in the top eight.
As he comes to the end of his career at the Rabbitohs -- he will join Parramatta next season on a lucrative multi-year deal -- Sandow is intent on exiting the club having played in the finals.
To do that, he and his teammates must find a way past Newcastle at Ausgrid Stadium.
It shapes as a winner-takes-all contest. The victor will play finals football, most likely against Melbourne at AAMI Park. The loser will begin planning Mad Monday.
"It's going to be emotional on Friday night," Sandow said yesterday. "Hopefully it's not my last. I am going to give it 100 per cent like the rest of the boys. I am feeling confident and so are the boys. We just have to hold the ball and play our own game and we can do really well against the Knights."
The Knights have lost their past three games, but a single win would almost certainly have booked them a place in the finals at South Sydney's expense.
Yet they shape as a difficult proposition given the final home game of the season is celebrated as old boy's day by Newcastle. Former players form a guard of honour for the current team. Their presence whips the crowd and the players into a frenzy. Add to that the absence of Souths strike weapon Greg Inglis and it leaves the Rabbitohs facing an uphill task. On the plus side, their form in recent weeks, last weekend's loss to Brisbane excluded, has been exhilarating.
"We have more strike weapons than those guys," Sandow said. "We just have to hold the ball and get out with a win."
As for Inglis's absence, Sandow said: "We have been winning games without GI there too."
Sandow has even allowed himself the luxury of looking beyond Friday night and the potential match-up with the Storm in round one of the finals.
"We're going to be really confident going into Friday night's game, hopefully win and go down to Melbourne and give it to those guys," Sandow said. "We don't really care who we play. We have to go out there and play South Sydney's game, do it for each other and I am sure we will win every game we play."
In Sandow's favour is the return of Sutton, who missed the loss to the Broncos with a broken hand. Prolific fullback Nathan Merritt also was absent and his comeback gives the side a potent try-scorer. "It's going to be good to have big Sutts back and the Shark -- Nathan Merritt -- swooping around in the middle looking to sniff out tries," Sandow said.
"I can't wait to play with them this week. I was running around like a headless chook against the Broncos trying to do everything.
"Sutts has been good for me since I started here at Souths. He is like a big brother. He has been really good for my football and helped me out."
Which makes Sandow's impending departure all the more difficult to take. Asked what he would miss about Souths, he said: "Just the boys. It's a funny bunch of blokes here. I really enjoy the boys' company. I see them every day and sometimes they get under my skin, but I get under their skin most of the time.
"It breaks my heart in the sheds every time we do lose, with the boys' heads down. That breaks me in pieces when that happens. That's why I try my best each and every week."
http://www.theAustralian.com.au/news...-1226126808237
