St George Illawarra Dragons prop Tyson Frizell has called on his teammates to step-up for the local derby against the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks at WIN Stadium, Wollongong on Saturday.
The Corrimal Cougars junior admits that recent performances to date have been below par and that players cannot simply put in effort on the field sporadically.
Head Coach Paul McGregor has named a 19-man squad for the local derby but faces a selection headache following the one-week suspension of Mitch Rein.
Hooker Shane Pumipi is poised to take advantage of the predicament following his first-grade debut for the Red V last round and Frizell has backed the rake.
“It’s always good to come up against the old team, and local derby is always a good test for us,” said Frizell.
“Both teams are looking for a win so it should be a good match and we’re ready to get back out there back at home this week.
“It doesn’t measure up to our standard, but compared to previous weeks we hung in there against South’s big forward pack.
“We know we have a lot of work to do and we need to work harder and put in more effort.
“It can’t be a ‘here and there’ sort of effort, we need to put together a solid 80 minute performance every week.
“I guess it’s always nice to get a meat pie too, and as a forward you need to push up and help your teammates.
“It’s nice to get a try under your belt in any case, and it was a good play by Gaz in the lead up.
“It is disappointing to lose Mitch, but we’ve got a few guys that can step into that role and do the job.
“He does add quite a bit to our team, he cleans up the scraps and does quite a bit in the middle, he’s definitely a workhorse.
“Shaneo got his start on the weekend and he knows what to do in that role, so no doubt he will step up when he’s required. “
