Wests Tigers Coach Michael Maguire says his team are ready for their season opener against the St. George-Illawarra after a long pre-season campaign and a week filled with COVID-19 discussions.
While much of the talk ahead of Sunday's season opener continues to focus on the fact that fans aren't to attend matches from Round 2 onwards, Maguire said his side were looking forward to competing and showing their progress in the pre-season regardless.
"We're really looking forward to the footy," Maguire said after his side finished their final training session for Sunday's game.
"We've obviously done a lot of work to this point and everyone is keen to play.
"There's a lot of energy around the place, but we also know we've got to make sure we create what happens in front of us."
"We'll wait and see what happens [with the crowd]... but at the end of the day we're all a very competitive group," he said. "We've got a lot that we want to achieve in the game and we'll play whatever is in front of us.
"This week we'll have a crowd, and I know our players really enjoy having the support behind from our Members and everyone involved because we do a lot out in the community. At the end of the day, they'll still be watching on the TV and we're ready and looking forward for whatever happens."
Match: Dragons v Wests Tigers
Round 1 -
home Team
Dragons
13th Position
away Team
Wests Tigers
4th Position
Venue: WIN Stadium, Wollongong
An exact return date for fans to go to games hasn't been confirmed by the NRL as yet, with Maguire encouraging the club's Members and supporters to stay heavily involved despite being unable to physically attend the game.
"Definitely stay passionate," Maguire enthused.
"We've got some great fans and we want what we do on the field to be something that they can follow. So if they're watching at home, then keep cheering, because at some stage they'll be coming back and we want to be in a good position whenever that will be."
