FRIZELL HAPPY FOR QUEENSLAND TO HAVE A CRACK
HE has all but invited Queensland to target his vulnerable ribs.
NSW back-rower Tyson Frizell yesterday sent a message to any Maroons wanting to test his rib cartilage injury on Wednesday night – have a crack at your peril.
Queensland may regret angering the powerful Frizell.
He will quickly turn from the hunted to the hunter and vigorously test out Johnathan Thurston’s suspect shoulder.
Thurston and the menacing Frizell will play on the same side of the field.
Frizell, who has had minimal contact at training, will have a pain-killing injection about 15 minutes before warm-up to ensure he rumbles through State of Origin II. He knows he may cop some traffic at his ribs but doesn’t care one iota.
“It’s up to them whether they want to (target it). It doesn’t affect me at all in the game so if they think I’m a target in that sense, it’s better for me,” he said.
“I wouldn’t be going into the game if I was going to be touch and go. I’m sweet.
“I don’t know if they’ll go out of their way to target me, I’m not a gun player.
“But if they think a weakness in our team is me ... so be it.”
Frizell warned he would seek out Thurston after he had passed the ball
“If it’s legal, of course, yeah,’’ Frizell said.
“I guess whoever’s in that role I’ll probably be going after. It’s the role of a backrower, you want to target the halves, you want to target where they’re vulnerable. JT offers so much in attack.
“Their back-rowers will be doing the same to our halves.”