'No Motivation Needed': Souths' Murray & Garlick on local derby

South Sydney captain Cameron Murray says Friday night’s clash with the Sydney Roosters is a match the Rabbitohs never need extra motivation for, with another chapter of one of rugby league’s fiercest rivalries set to unfold.

The traditional cross town showdown has long been one of the most heated fixtures in the NRL calendar, and Murray said the significance of the occasion is well understood throughout the club and its supporter base.

“It’s always a big game against the Roosters,” Murray said.

“Any member of the Souths community can tell you there’s a little bit of added heat and intensity with these games. We love the rivalry, we love how the fans get around it and we love writing new chapters in our rivalry as well.”

The Rabbitohs head into the contest looking to build on the momentum of their opening round victory, but Murray said the focus remains on maintaining standards rather than getting carried away by the occasion.

“The occasion gets us up for it, but this early in the season we just need to focus on being consistent and getting our fundamentals right,” he said.

“We want to continue on the momentum that we laid for that foundation in round one. It’s going to be a big game.”

Murray said he was pleased with how the side executed key elements of its game plan in the season opener, particularly those prioritised during the pre season: limiting handling errors, maintaining discipline and creating opportunities for the Rabbitohs’ attacking weapons were all central to the club’s preparation for the new campaign.

“We were pretty happy with how we executed some of the things we practised over the pre season,” Murray continued.

“We kept our handling errors down, had good discipline and gave our strike players opportunities.”

Friday night’s clash could also provide a historic moment for South Sydney winger Alex Johnston, who is edging closer to the NRL’s all time try scoring record.

The milestone has been a regular talking point in recent weeks, but Murray believes the pressure of the pursuit has fallen mainly on Johnston himself rather than the playing group.

“I think mostly it’ll just be a weight off AJ’s shoulders,” Murray said.

“I think he probably can’t walk down the street without someone reminding him that he’s pretty close to that record.

“Hopefully he breaks it sooner rather than later so he can get past it and forget about all that head noise he’s probably having to deal with.”

Hooker Bronson Garlick, who made his Bunnies debut in Round One, will experience his first South Sydney versus Sydney Roosters derby this weekend, something he has been anticipating since growing up in the local area.

“I don’t think you need any motivation. Growing up in the area you’re pretty much taught to hate the Roosters.”

For me it's going to be a really special week, and the rivarly is definately still there."

Garlick said the prospect of Johnston breaking the all time try scoring record against South Sydney’s fiercest rival would make the occasion even more memorable.

While the Rabbitohs have not placed too much focus on the milestone, in line with coach Wayne Bennett’s preference to keep the attention on performance, Garlick admitted the storyline would be hard to top.

“If it happens this week,” he said, “you can't write a better script than that.”

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