“We’ll do everything we can to look after the boys, but all we can do is get on with it. They’re paid to play footy, and that’s what they’ll do.”
The battle of the big men, Parramatta’s Reagan Campbell-Gillard and Junior Paulo versus Brisbane’s Payne Haas, will be a fascinating heavyweight match-up. All three have big engines and will cope with the heat.
Clint Gutherson on the fly against Brisbane at Darwin in 2021.Credit: Getty
“Payne will come at our two boys, and our two boys won’t take a backward step,” Arthur said.
“It will be a great battle in itself; it always is, every time we go up against him. Brisbane are playing really well, they have plenty of points in them, so we’ll need to be strong defensively.
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“We showed signs of improvement with our defence on Sunday [against the Bulldogs], but Friday we’ll meet a team that capitalises on every opportunity.”
Bailey Simonsson (suspension) and Josh Hodgson (flu) will head to Darwin, with three players to fly back on Thursday, and Jake Arthur to catch the red-eye back to Sydney late Friday, before pressing on to Auckland for Sunday’s reserve grade game.
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