St George Illawarra Dragons second-rower Joel Thompson admits a test of character awaits against the Gold Coast Titans at Cbus Super Stadium, Robina on Saturday.
The Red-and-Whites have recently been on the tail-end of two heavy defeats in the span of five-days against Queensland opposition (North Queensland Cowboys and Brisbane Broncos) but aim to change their fortune in their trifecta of fixtures north of the state border.
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Thompson, a five-time Indigenous All-Star, admits that it is times like these that test the mettle and personality of a team and has backed his teammates to rise to the occasion.
“We are feeling sore and the result against the Broncos was very disappointing as we have been working really hard but there are a few things there that we need to fix-up,” said Thompson.
“Going forward we know where we’re at and where we have to improve with the errors made and fortunately this has happened at the beginning of the season and not the back-end.
“We have a group of playing and coaching staff which puts in a lot of work and works hard for one another.
“We will look at the video and have some honest conversations and get back into it as we focus now on the Titans.
“Individually we all need to know our role and do the best you can doing your job and the success will come from that.
“The Titans are a really good side who’ve had a really good start to the season and again we will have to be at our best.
“Hopefully we can improve on the areas which have let us down the last couple of weeks but that’s the challenge and we look forward to being able to stand-up and take on these tough times as a group.
“It tests your character individually and I am looking forward to this game.”