Ryan happy to get lost in the Woods
THE race for NRL finals is set to get personal, with Ryan James locking his radar on NSW and Kangaroos prop Aaron Woods.
The Titans captain is very much pledging a team ethos in the club’s top eight pursuit, but amid that warfare he knows bringing down his Wests Tigers opposite is not negotiable.
James enjoys a 3-0 record in head-to-head battles with his close friend and former Australian schoolboys teammate.
Woods, though, holds the representative jumpers that James has craved in recent seasons, setting the scene for Sunday’s clash at Cbus Super Stadium.
“I love these sort of games,” James said.
“It’s always good coming up against him. We get along and every time we talk there’s good camaraderie.
“You want to go out there and beat him but you always want to beat your opposite.
“It just makes it a bit more special when you come up against an Origin front-rower and you want to take that place.”
While the Titans have lost Konrad Hurrell (hamstring), adding to a growing casualty ward, James has given the thumbs up on his own fitness despite a gruelling campaign.
That will be crucial given Gold Coast need a blend of luck and perfection in the closing weeks to wrestle a top eight berth.
“Everyone carries something at this time of the year,” James said.
“But the bye a few weeks ago came at a pretty good time so I feel good.
“I’m feeling fresh for this time of the year.
“It’s cliche but you have to
go game for game. We will focus on the Tigers this week and then go from there.
“We were pretty much playing for a finals spot (last week against Penrith) and didn’t get the win down there.
“We didn’t put a complete game in so this is the grand final this week.”
Despite the ongoing injury toll, James is dreaming of what could be for 2018.
Karl Lawton, Max King, Morgan Boyle and other youngsters have enjoyed more gametime than they would have initially budgeted for due to the long list of absentees.
“You want to get some games in to those guys,” James said.
“It’s great having guys like Max King and Morgan Boyle chucked in there.
“Finishing this season well, it’s going to be good for them to get those games under their belts.
“We’ll then hit pre-season and it will be exciting what depth we have next year.”