Having returned to the NRL arena for the first time in 2018, Chris McQueen said consistency is the key for both himself and the team as they take on the defending premiers this Saturday.
McQueen played in last week’s victory against the Titans — his first NRL game since Round 20 last year — and said that while his preparation was good, there was nothing that could properly prepare him for a return to first-grade.
“I pulled up well, but I was pretty fried as it’s the first game of NRL I’ve played in a while," McQueen admitted.
“I don’t think it matters how much you train or how much reserve grade you play — nothing can prepare you for playing NRL football.
“As a team, obviously that game against Parramatta wasn’t the prettiest to watch and we really wanted to make sure we bounced back. We missed the start of the Titans game, but we rallied around each other and got back in to the game.
"We were able to get back in the arm-wrestle and go on to win the game.
"It was a special one especially for me to get my first win in the Wests Tigers jersey.
“When it was 14-0, I still had plenty of confidence that if we could get our discipline in order and fix up those little areas that were letting us down, we'd get back in the game and be able to be competitive," McQueen said.
"As a whole, the boys did a great job in getting back on track and into the game.”
For the 31-year-old, McQueen said he certainly enjoyed the return to the winners circle, but quickly turned his focus to Saturday's tough test against the Roosters.
“That’s the nature of rugby league — you can’t dwell on things whether good or bad for too long because you’ll get found out," he said. "We’ve obviously had a talk about the game on the weekend and addressed a few of the issues and will work on it.
"This week, our focus is just on the Roosters for Saturday,
“They want to play fast footy and have a lot of attacking weapons.
"It’s one of those games where we have to be on with our defence. They’re certainly one of the teams to beat and we’re excited for the challenge.”
NRL Team Announcement: Round 8
