“It’s going to be a hard game, they are always tough,” Korbin Sims said about the Newcastle Knights' up-coming rival, the Brisbane Broncos.
But the 23-year-old forward is certain the Knights are in the right place to put in a quality performance against the Queensland based club on Monday night at Hunter Stadium.
After breaking a five-game losing streak last weekend, the Knights hope it signals the start of the side turning their season around.
“It was very relieving,” Sims said about the victory over the Wests Tigers on Sunday.
“We were looking down the barrel of six in a row and you don’t want to have that in your season at any point in time.
“To get the win was really helpful for us and for moving forward in the long run.”
Sims was particularly glad for the team to earn a positive appraisal from coach Rick Stone, who noted a marked shift in the side’s application on the field.
“(Rick) Stoney was really happy with what we did on the weekend,” he said.
“Our on line defence was really good. We’ve always shown urgency in that department.
“We just have to finalise and look into a couple of areas in our game.
“Other than that, Stoney was really happy with our game and the way we competed.
“It was that never-say-die attitude that we might not have had over the last couple of weeks.”
The Broncos will miss a portion of the side’s mainstays through selection in the Queensland State of Origin side yet Sims says that’s no reason for the Knights to drop their guard on Monday night.
“They might have a couple of injuries here and there and some players out with rep duties, but they are still going to be a quality side and are always going to be tough whenever you play them,” he warned.
“They are sitting near the top of the table so are going to be really strong, so I’m preparing for a really physical battle.”
The Knights made the most of a longer week on Tuesday with a recovery session at Howzat Sports Centre, which saw a spirited indoor sports competition played between teammates.
“We had a bit of fun today. We have a bit of a longer turn around so had a different training session today and played a bit of basketball, some footsal and some beach volleyball,” Sims added.
“All the games were low intensity but we had a bit of fun."
While the whole team did well to convert their athletic skills to the indoor sports, Sims’ Man of the Match was none other than team captain, Kurt Gidley.
“(Kurt) Gidsy is always good fun with those sort of things,” he said.
“It’s probably one of the more interesting games of basketball I’ve ever played in my life.”
Fun aside, he says the Knights looks to replicate the energy and focus shown in the previous week’s preparation in the lead up to Monday night’s clash.
“It’s going to be more or less the same. We prepared really well and had changed a few things in our preparation, so if we can try to stick to what we did last week I hope we get another win,” he concluded.
