Harris not expecting miracles
After not playing for 10 months, Tohu Harris admits there will be nerves going into today’s game against the Rabbitohs at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.
The Warriors captain will at last make his comeback from a serious knee injury last July and after so long out, Harris says it will be an emotional experience for him to take to the field again.
‘‘The nerves aren’t too bad at the moment, just the feelings of excitement,’’ Harris said.
‘‘But I know that leading up to the game, the closer we get, the nerves are going to get really strong.
‘‘I’m expecting it, but I am feeling a bit of everything at the moment.’’
There have been some in the media who have suggested all the Warriors’ problems are solved with the return of the team’s captain. While people outside the club could think that, it would be dangerous for the players to be likewise.
‘‘Not one person can fix all the issues,’’ Harris said.
‘‘Everyone has been focusing this week on doing their own role and getting that right. It doesn’t matter who you bring in, that person has got to take care of their own role.
‘‘That’s been the talk this week, there’s not going to be any miracles, I’m going to come in and do my role the best I can and hopefully that makes it easier for the guys to do theirs. But I can’t do their job and they can’t do mine.’’
Harris will play for about 40 minutes against the Rabbitohs. That could be with him starting the game, or coming off the bench after 20 minutes, so he can benefit from the halftime break.
The coaches haven’t made that decision yet, but Harris says he’ll see how he feels during the game, which is likely to be played in rain.
‘‘I haven’t thought about how long or any specific goals, I was going to go out there and see how the lungs feel,’’ he said.
‘‘The weather is going to help, the game might be a bit slower and people are moving more at my pace. But it’s still going to be tough on the lungs, so I’ll see how I feel and go for as long as I’m able to do my job.’’
Key for the Warriors will be to avoid spending so much time defending close to their goal line.
This has been a problem for most of the season and their inability to get the ball back has resulted in two factors. Firstly, that players are getting tired quicker and the other is they’re rarely getting a chance to attack themselves.
‘‘Everyone’s got to do their job and we’ve got to use a bit more
What: Who: Where, when:
Warriors:
Rabbitohs: energy or put more effort into doing that, so we’re not constantly defending our own line,’’ Harris said.
‘‘There are little things like discipline as well, not giving them piggybacks out of their own end, even disciplines in our own roles and making sure we’re doing our jobs, so we’re not making it easy for them to roll down the field.’’