James Fisher-Harris is the unsung hero of Penrith’s pack, says Bulldogs forward Aaron Woods
REAGAN Campbell-Gillard has been heaped with praise for his performances so far this year but Bulldogs prop Aaron Woods says he’s not the star of Penrith’s monster pack.
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REAGAN Campbell-Gillard has been lauded for his performances so far this year but Bulldogs prop Aaron Woods says he’s not the hero of Penrith’s monster pack.
According to Woods, James Fisher-Harris has been a shining light for the Panthers and he is going under the radar despite his recent form.
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“They have a really good pack. But I don’t think it’s just Reagan Campbell-Gillard. Trent Merrin does a lot of their dirty work around the ruck, then you have the likes of [James] Tamou,” Woods said.
“Then there’s James Fisher-Harris.
“I think he’s been their unsung hero for them at the moment.”
But that doesn’t mean Canterbury will be taking their eye off Campbell-Gillard in their clash on Friday night at Panthers Stadium.
Lock Adam Elliott revealed shutting down the Panthers’ man mountain will be high on their agenda.
“He’s one of the pillars in their team and he starts off aggressively every week and tries to get them going forward,” Elliott said.
“I’m not surprised see he is ripping in and obviously that’s just a challenge for us to make sure we don’t give him the opportunity to do that against us.
“We try and set ourselves a challenge as a forward pack out here every week. We need to do as much as we can to take the start of the game away from them.”
For the Panthers big men, Friday night’s showdown is a chance for them to put their hands up for Origin selection.
Most players in the modern game are reluctant to talk up their chances but Trent Merrin has bucked that trend declaring he’s ready to make a return for the Blues in the 2018 State of Origin series.
“Every year you want to set high standards for yourself and representative jerseys are definitely in that,” he said.
“I’d love to get back on that arena and put myself in that position.
“I think I’m up for it for sure, I know I’m up for it.”
Merrin and Campbell-Gillard will go head-to-head with incumbent NSW forwards David Klemmer and Woods in a mouth-watering clash upfront.
A match-up that might help new Blues coach Brad Fittler decide the make-up of his forwards rotation for game one on June 6 at the MCG.
“I love it. It’s one the middles get excited for,” Merrin said. “Me and Reg will doing our best in that battle.
“I think when you come up against those sorts of players [Klemmer and Woods] you always want to prove a point. It’s always great to come up against those two front rowers. So it’s going to be exciting
“We’ll do our homework, tick the box and come out with our head on right on Friday night.”