Champion focused on keeping Inglis quiet

In-form South Sydney centre Beau Champion is preparing himself for the game of his life with a possible New South Wales jersey on the line should he do what nobody else has been able to over the past six weeks – contain Greg Inglis.<br><br>Champion is one of a number of contenders for the Blues’ no.3 jersey – alongside Beau Scott, Michael Jennings, Chris Lawrence and Jamal Idris – when the State of Origin squad for game three is announced on Monday night and believes there is no better time to face the NRL’s premier centre than this Saturday when the Rabbitohs take on Melbourne at Perth’s Members Equity Stadium.<br><br>“Greg is one of the best players in the world and I think when I approach the game I need to focus a little bit more on him than I usually would on an opposition centre,” Champion said.<br><br>“But I’m looking forward to the challenge – it’s a good test for myself.<br><br>“You don’t get better playing against players that aren’t at the top of the game. If you want to be the best you’ve got to beat the best and he is obviously the best in our position.”<br><br>Asked if he considered Saturday’s clash as a potential State of Origin trial, Champion said: “It could be… But I need to worry about South Sydney first.<br><br>“If I go out and put in a good performance against Greg, people can talk.<br><br>“I’ve just got to do my bit first and if they want to talk about it then they can talk about it after that.”<br><br>The Melbourne clash looms as a huge game for the Rabbitohs, who were flying high two weeks ago but have come back to the field somewhat with consecutive losses against Brisbane and Manly.<br><br>Their run doesn’t get any easier this week against a Storm side that Champion describes as the most consistent in the NRL – despite having to play for no points in 2010 following the salary cap scandal.<br><br>“A lot of people thought they would fade away but I don’t see any reason why they were going to,” Champion said.<br><br>“They still have that core of individuals and no matter who they are playing against they’re always going to want to win.<br><br>“They’re the most consistent side in the competition and that’s where we’ve fallen down this year is finding that consistency.<br><br>“Until we get that we’re going to be up and down for a while but it really needs to start this week. <br><br>“We’ve got plenty of consistency in our training so hopefully that transfers to the field. <br><br>“We still have a lot to work on but I think the positive is that we’re pretty settled as a team now.<br><br>“We know we can score points, so it’s just a matter of finding that consistency in defence.”<br><br>Champion said he was looking forward to making up for last season’s trek across the country when the Storm prevailed 28-22 in a thriller.<br><br>“We didn’t get the two points last year so we want to put in a good performance this time,” he said.<br><br>“It’s important, if we want to make it a national competition, that we play games in Perth and put on a good show at the same time.<br><br>“But the main thing is that it’s a crucial game for us. <br><br>“We’ve slipped down to seventh now so we need this one to keep us rolling along and get us back on track.<br>&nbsp;<br>“It could prove to be a defining game in the end.”<br>