Cameron McInnes hails Dragons pack as best in NRL and has challenged Panthers to take them on
CAMERON McInnes says the Dragons’ pack is the best in the NRL and is confident they can handle what he describes as their toughest challenge of the season at Penrith on Saturday night.
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CAMERON McInnes says St George Illawarra’s pack is the best in the NRL — and he’s has challenged the Panthers to take them on upfront in Saturday’s top-of-the-table clash.
McInnes believes the Dragons’ strong start to the season can largely be attributed to the team’s big men — James Graham, Jack de Belin and Tyson Frizell.
Despite their dominance, the Dragons face their toughest challenge of the season when they take on Penrith’s in-form forwards.
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Dragons hooker McInnes expects Penrith forwards Trent Merrin, Reagan Campbell-Gillard, James Fisher-Harris and Villame Kikau to come out hard at a packed Panthers Stadium.
“When we have a really good forward pack like we have, other packs want to stand up,” McInnes said.
“They want to bring it and prove they are the best.
“We know that week-to-week and we welcome that challenge.
“They (Penrith) do have a really good pack and it’s going to be an exciting game.”
McInnes looks set to miss out on the NSW No. 9 jersey to former Souths teammate, Damien Cook.
He will be disappointed if he isn’t selected, but he also couldn’t be happier for Cook.
“Damien is a good person and for him to have that success having been at a few clubs is good,” he said.
“We got on well and we played together a few times at Souths
“There were times when he played and I didn’t and vice versa.
“He is a really good player and we used to compete hard against each other.
“It’s great to see the way he has been playing.
“I love it here at the Dragons, so it has worked out well for everybody.”
McInnes has heard about the reports suggesting the NSW No. 9 jersey was down to himself and Cook, but he hasn’t read a word.
The Botany Rams junior was once a footy tragic that absorbed everything rugby league, but he placed a social media ban on himself when he joined the Dragons last season.
“I had it (Facebook) when I was younger, but when I moved to the Dragons you feel yourself on your phone all the time,” he said.
“I was just sick of it and thought it wasn’t healthy, so I just stopped.
“It was a bit hard at the start because you are so used to it, but now I go home and I shut the world off.
“I have my little baby, the missus and our own little world.
“Then I come back here and train and it works pretty well for me.
“Obviously it’s impossible to avoid all the talk, but given what we are building here at the Dragons it would be pretty selfish of me to take my focus away from doing my best job for the club.”
McInnes said Dragons coach Paul McGregor has also stressed the importance of the players putting Origin aside to focus on club football.
“Mary has said to boys that they are in Origin contention and it’s up to us to try and quieten that noise,” he said.
“He said, let’s make sure the pictures we see in reviews are team first pictures and we’re doing it for the Dragons.
“Footy is easy to tell if someone is playing for the wrong reasons, because it can stick out.
“You can do selfish things and I think we’ve been doing a good job at that.
“There have been so many articles and it’s easy to get carried away.
“My sole focus has been what I do for the Dragons, but obviously a lifetime goal is to play State of Origin.
“You want to play Origin because it is the pinnacle.
“I’ve always been a big Origin fan, but I haven’t been thinking about it too much.”