Fresh off winning the Sea Eagles' Best and Fairest award on Tuesday night, leading Manly prop Brenton Lawrence has declared himself fit to take on the Rabbitohs come Friday night.
Sea Eagles v Rabbitohs preview
Having played every game this season bar the Sea Eagles' final two regular fixtures against Penrith and North Queensland, Lawrence said his troublesome knee won't be a problem in what is expected to be a very tough battle between both packs.
"I'm very excited. It is finals football and the Bunnies are a great side and I think this will be a great test for us," Lawrence said.
"I'm pretty confident with how we are going to go and I'm really looking forward to it.
"While I don't think you're ever 100 per cent over a football season, [my knee] is fine and it won't hold me back at all."
While the Sea Eagles have been below average in recent weeks with injuries to key quartet Jamie Buhrer, Matt Ballin, Brett Stewart and Lawrence himself, the club's premier prop believes there is no point letting it distract them in their high-stake game with Souths.
"You're doing nobody any good by... thinking that we probably haven't played a good game here or there," Lawrence said.
"That's going to happen – it happens to the best sides – and we are no exception, we aren't immune to it. We understand what we have been doing wrong and we'll address that and be right to go this week."
Meanwhile, winger Jorge Taufua says it is his time for everyone, including himself, to step up at the club.
Taufua was one of plenty who had a tough day in the office in Townsville last Saturday and is hoping to turn around his form against South Sydney.
"I have those [poor] games a couple of times a year... I don't what happened that night – must have been too many M&M's or something – but hopefully I'm on this Friday. We'll see how we go," Taufua said.
"We have a few injuries in our forwards so everyone has to step up and the last time [the Rabbitohs] played us they ran all over us so that's enough motivation for us to get over the top of them."
