Teddy OK to tackle Titans
JAMES Tedesco has declared himself a likely starter at Cbus Super Stadium on Sunday night as he gears up for a long-time duel with Kalyn Ponga for the status of the game’s best fullback.
Tedesco completed a standout State of Origin series for the Blues on Wednesday and believes he is a good chance to line up for the Roosters’ Round 18 NRL match against the Gold Coast.
“Yeah it will be good. I’ll see how the body pulls up but it feels pretty good at the moment,” Tedesco told the Bulletin.
“We obviously want to go for a top-four run. We’ve had a bit of a solid season so far but we want to end it strongly and go into finals with a bit of confidence.
“They (the Titans) have got a lot of attacking footy in them so you never know what they will come up with.”
Gold Coast gave the Roosters a scare back in Round 12 before the premiership heavyweights ran them down 34-14 at Central Coast Stadium.
Tedesco’s NSW teammate Latrell Mitchell was not so sure about his likelihood of backing up, admitting he hoped to “get a bit of a break”, while captain Boyd Cordner will definitely be rested from the clash.
Billy Slater’s representative retirement means the path is now clear for Tedesco to “stamp my authority” as the No.1 fullback in the world.
“He (Slater) is someone I enjoyed watching when I was a teenager coming through,” Tedesco said.
“The way he dominated the fullback role, it was great to watch.
“It’s going to be weird not seeing him in the Origin arena anymore but I’m looking forward to trying to be the top fullback in the game for many years to come.”
He conceded Maroons fullback-in-waiting Ponga is a potential roadblock in his way, with the two destined to go head-to-head for the foreseeable future.
“He is an awesome player,” Tedesco said.
“Obviously they’re not losing much, they lose Slater but they have got Ponga to come in. Queensland have always got tonnes of players coming through.”