Sydney Roosters skipper Mitchell Pearce doesn’t believe South Sydney’s NRL premiership success last year will add any extra spite or intensity to Sunday’s clash between the bitter old rivals at ANZ Stadium.
Souths ended a 43-year wait to win a premiership with victory over Canterbury in last October’s grand final after seeing off the Roosters in the preliminary final a week earlier.
Recent encounters between the two sides have been high-octane, physical affairs and Pearce expects it to be no different this weekend regardless of the fact the Rabbitohs are the premiers.
“I actually went out to the game (grand final) and it was obviously disappointing (seeing Souths win),” Pearce said.
“But I wouldn’t have mattered if it was them or anyone else. You just want to be a part of it but we had our chance the year before but last year we just weren’t good enough.”
The celebrations that marked the Rabbitohs’ success lasted for almost a week with street parades around Redfern followed by the team being given the keys to the city by Mayor Clover Moore.
Such an honour wasn’t bestowed upon the Roosters when they won the competition 12 months earlier but Pearce insists there is nothing to be gained by being bitter.
“They deserved it, they won the comp and deserved everything they got,” he said.
“Games against Souths are always, hard, fast and played in front of a big crowd and this one won’t be any different.”