Captain Trent Hodkinson knows all too well the dominance reigning premiers, the Cronulla Sharks, can showcase during a match of footy.
While the halfback can remember the trouble the nib Newcastle Knights had last year against the Sharks, he’s looking forward to getting back on track.
“Obviously last year we went down there and they put some points on us, as they did on us at home,” said Hodkinson.
“Last week was a bit of a hiccup and was disappointing but looking forward to this week.”
“We will still learn from the loss to Penrith, we’ll take things out of it where we need to improve but looking forward to turning it around and moving forward.”
The skipper has welcomed the return of Brendan Elliot to fullback.
“Having Brendan (Elliot) back there at fullback helps and we can keep the team consistent with positions,” Hodkinson explained.
“We need to hone those combinations as best as we can.”
And the inclusion of NRL veteran Anthony Tupou.
“Tupou brings experience,” Hodkinson acknowledged.
“He has played at the highest level for Australia and Origin so he’s been around for a long time and he knows what it’s all about.
“Especially with the squad we’ve got, obviously, some young guys and hopefully they can learn off Tupes (Anthony Tupou).”
Hodkinson said first and foremost against a team like the Sharks, their defence will need to be impeccable.
“They are a quality side Cronulla, plenty of superstars, they’re the premiers so it’s a good test for us,’ Hodkinson said.
“We played the premiership favourites last week and this week we’ve got the premiers so another good test for us.
“We need to focus on ourselves and get our defence back on track, something we have worked on in the pre-season and then we can play off the back of that.
“We just need to work on playing set for set, get a share in the possession, build pressure and go from there.”
Catch all three grades at Southern Cross Group Stadium on Saturday, NYC kick off at 10.45am before Reserve Grade at 12.40pm, NRL at 3pm and the women’s exhibition match finishes the day at 5.15pm.
