Greg Inglis has been using the experience he gained during his Melbourne days to help his young South Sydney teammates ahead of Saturday’s NRL preliminary final against Canterbury.
Despite being just 25, Inglis is a veteran of 18 State of Origin appearances for Queensland, 21 Tests for Australia and four grand finals during his Storm career.
Inglis denied he’ll need to play any different if the Rabbitohs are to record a first grand final appearance since 1971, and said focus is the most important factor at this time of the season.
“I think there is a lot of excitement around this club and there are a lot of blokes who have not played a lot of finals football,” Inglis said.
“Obviously it is a different competition when you get to this stage. I learned from my time at Melbourne that you have to control it and keep your emotions in tact. Go out there and just play as well as you can.”
Souths had not played in the finals since 2007 until this year and bounced back well from their defeat in Melbourne in the opening week, to beat Canberra last Saturday.
Inglis put the win down to a lift in the side’s intensity but said every single player would need to be at their best to have a chance of beating a Canterbury outfit that have won 14 of their past 15 games.
“There is a lot on the line here, it is all or nothing from here on in,” he said.
“You have to do whatever you can to get your team over the line – no matter what position you play in.”