This was from outside the box that I for one, didn't see coming.
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The first most of the boys knew about Blake Green's signing this week was when we were told at our team meeting on Tuesday morning.
He's an enormous pick-up for us. With so many of our troops going down, Adsy [coach Adam O'Brien] and the club obviously felt we needed a reinforcement and they have come up with someone from the top shelf who is going to help Pearcey and the rest of us no end.
There must be some sort of curse on us with the injuries we've been getting this season. Every week, it's like a scene out of M.A.S.H the way blokes have been going down.
The hardest working staff here have been the high performance boys and physios who just haven't stopped.
I don't know what it is but it just seems to be a run of ankles, Achilles, hamstrings and knee injuries with us.
The latest casualty is young Bradie [Bradman Best] and we are really going to miss his strikepower out there on the left edge.
So, being able to bring a new player in of the calibre of Greeny is huge for us. I know him pretty well and he'll really fit in here.
He's a top bloke and a great family man away from footy but what he'll bring to our side with his experience, calmness under pressure and his playmaking will be huge.
Pearcey's under so much pressure each week because he is such a focal point of our attack so to have someone to ease the burden a bit in that regard and take some of the opposition's focus can only be a good thing.
He's been around Greeny. He's played with a lot of clubs in a whole heap of different scenarios so he'll know what's required.
He's played in some really big games too - a grandfinal with Melbourne and a Super League grandfinal and Challenge Cup final in English - so he has had a good taste of the big stage. He's worked with Adsy before at the Storm so they know each other really well which is another bonus for us.
Kurty [Kurt Mann] has been going great for us at five-eighth all season but he is a really smart player who'll handle the shift into hooker and there is no doubting his toughness to be able to take the defensive load head-on.
There'll be a few sessions this week to get used to the changes and then she is on against the Wests Tigers on Saturday at home. They are going to be desperate to knock us over but no more desperate than we are.
After our past two defeats, the next month of footy is going to be huge for us and can set us up for the back end of the season. But we have to make it happen. We have some ground to make up with our fans as well because we have let them down badly in our past two games at home.
But talk is cheap. We must win and deliver a performance our fans can be proud of because they deserve it.
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