Following his stellar defensive performance in Melbourne, Sydney Roosters Captain James Tedesco is ready to lead his side on a historic night at Allianz Stadium this Friday.
As the Tricolours take the field for the very first time on their brand-new home turf, Tedesco will be the first NRL skipper to lead his side in a doubleheader that will follow the NRLW side's Round 3 Grand Final rematch.
Tedesco: "We Can't Wait to Get Out There"
After four years at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Tedesco is excited at the prospect of running out to a sold-out stadium against the Club's biggest rivals in a fitting regular-season finale.
“Yeah it’s going to be awesome, it’s been a long time coming,” Tedesco said.
“We’ve been there and seen how good it is and we can’t wait to get out there on Friday night. It’s sold out so it’s going to be a pretty good atmosphere.
“We might get one or two (training) sessions out there this week which will be awesome.
“We’re looking forward to it. It’s going to be a good challenge.”
Watson: "It's a Big Occasion"
Playing for the Ron Coote Cup, both clubs will be honouring one of the game's greats - who just last week was honoured with a place in the stadium's inaugural 'Ring of Champions' alongside fellow Roosters Hall of Famer, Arthur Beetson.
The first player to feature in 100 games for two clubs, Coote's reputation was so great that he was named Captain in his first season, guiding the side to the 1972 decider before winning back-to-back titles in the famous 1974-75 sides.
The Tricolours great's influence still stays with the Club to this day, according to Tedesco.
“He’s been big for us,” he said of Coote.
“We’ve got a few plays named after him and he’s been a big influence on us.
“Robbo (Head Coach Trent Robinson) is big with that, getting a lot of history back with past players back into our training with a couple of plays.
We’ve been there and seen how good it is and we can’t wait to get out there on Friday night. It’s sold out so it’s going to be a pretty good atmosphere.
James Tedesco On Allianz Stadium
“Guys like Ron Coote are a big part of our team and we play that call pretty often.”
While the spectacle of the Roosters vs Rabbitohs clashes often creates headlines for numerous reasons, Tedesco's focus was laser-like when speaking of his side's next few weeks heading into the finals.
“It doesn’t matter who we play, we’ve got to win, that’s our mentality,” he said.
“It doesn’t matter what team it is or who is playing, there’s a big focus on ourselves in getting better and we’ve done that for the past two months which has been pleasing.
“We’ve got a couple of challenges coming up with guys not playing, suspensions but we’re still keeping it internal and going for our best performance.
“It’s about our next performance and that’s against Souths on Friday night and winning that game.
“I feel like that mentality has been really clear for us.”
