Press conference: Aidan Guerra on Round 3
Aiden Guerra admits that although every game so far this season has been exciting for him, he can't wait to lead his new side into familiar territory in this Sunday’s clash against the Roosters.
While there is a large degree of focus on the ex-Roosters returning to Allianz, for Guerra it’s all about playing a good game, and representing his new side.
“It’s Round 3, I’m very excited as every game approaches” he said.
“I’m enjoying playing football with this group of blokes. Obviously there is a bit of a focus on us former Roosters going back down there against our old mates, and I think that’s all it is. We’re just going there to play a good game of footy, we’re there to represent the Knights.”
Guerra also talked down the ‘battle of the halves’, between former Rooster Mitchell Pearce and Cooper Cronk.
“I think that everyone knows that the halfback can only do as much as the forward pack does for them, so there’s a challenge for our forward pack, and likewise a challenge for their forward pack… it’s not about one player, and there’s so many aspects of the game that need to go well for both sides to win.”
The 30-year-old second rower welcomed praise from Newcastle’s large supporter base in the first two rounds, whilst recognising that although Sydney has a loyal fan base, the overwhelming support from Knights fans has resonated with the players, who have been tapping into that energy.
“They’ve got a supporter base that goes to every game, their numbers aren’t quite what they are here in Newcastle… I really love the support here from the Knights fans; it really shows how much it means to the community, and us as players are buying into it”.
The former Rooster is looking forward to the future of the team, and to building on the ‘winning’ mentality between the players.
“We’re still a young side who’s got plenty of growth ahead of us… expecting success week after week is a culture thing, and that doesn’t happen overnight. We’re a side that’s working in the right direction. On the field we’ve shown glimpses of what a good football side is, and that’s why we’ve come away with a couple of wins, but there’s room for improvement there. Once we start doing it week in week out is when we can start talking about that sort of culture.
“We train to put ourselves in the best position to win, we got out there with a belief that we have the game plan to win games. It’s up to us to execute that.”
