Knights captain Mitchell Pearce has declared himself a certain starter and expects Newcastle's other State of Origin stars to back up against the Bulldogs at McDonald Jones Stadium on Friday night following NSW's series-clinching win over Queensland in Origin III.
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"I'm pretty sore but I'll be sweet and I think the other boys will be the same," a jubilant Pearce said.
"It's a big game for us and we need to be right up for the Dogs or they will pull our pants down so hopefully, it will be all hands on deck."
While Pearce played the full 80 minutes, Blues props David Klemmer and Daniel Saifiti only played 41 minutes and 22 minutes respectively while Maroons interchange forward Tim Glasby was only required for 13 minutes.
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Pearce admitted he was still on a high from the euphoria of the Blues' last minute win over the Maroons.
"It's a great feeling and I'm just grateful I was given the chance to be a part of it," he said.
"The feeling among all the boys was pretty special. It has usually been the Maroons doing that to us in the past, scoring at the death so it was great to be on the right side of the ledger."
