Inspirational Wests Tigers captain Robbie Farah has given himself the all clear for State of Origin duties in a badly-needed reprieve for NSW.
Returning from a dislocated elbow he suffered in Round 6 against North Queensland in his side's 22-20 win over the Cronulla Sharks, Farah's return to fitness is a welcome relief for NSW coach Laurie Daley, with Greg Bird and Andrew Fifita - and perhaps now Boyd Cordner - set to miss the opening game of the series.
"The lungs a bit worse than the elbow to be honest," said Farah, now guaranteed to retain the Blues hooker position.
"It was good to get a run under the belt obviously after a few weeks out. It took me a while to get into the game but got through with no dramas.
"Gal (Paul Gallen) kept picking on me in the middle there and kept running at me so it was a fun night in the office."
With the Tigers coming back from 10 points behind to secure their first win in three weeks, Farah was a very happy man at full-time - especially with his team's persistence.
"I thought we were in control of the game and we conceded two soft tries and dropped our heads and found ourselves behind by 10 points. We knew if we controlled the ball and got some more opportunities at the other end of the park we could score some points," Farah said.
Shrewd Wests Tigers coach Mick Potter echoed his captain's thought, claiming it was nice to get the win considering their slow start in the second half.
"It's not pleasant when you get behind on the scoreboard. I thought we were doing quite a few things right and we just had a little bit of a lapse and a little bit of lack of energy there and to have back-to-back tries against you really upsets you as a coach and I'm sure it upset the players as well," Potter said.
"It's satisfying for the players to show their grit. Other teams might panic but our players kept their composure and knew there was plenty of time on the board to come back. It's pleasing. I think our senior players bound us together there.
"[The win] keeps us on the right side of the ledger to try and push for that final eight. There's a long way to go just yet but that was one we didn't want to let get away."
Returning from a dislocated elbow he suffered in Round 6 against North Queensland in his side's 22-20 win over the Cronulla Sharks, Farah's return to fitness is a welcome relief for NSW coach Laurie Daley, with Greg Bird and Andrew Fifita - and perhaps now Boyd Cordner - set to miss the opening game of the series.
"The lungs a bit worse than the elbow to be honest," said Farah, now guaranteed to retain the Blues hooker position.
"It was good to get a run under the belt obviously after a few weeks out. It took me a while to get into the game but got through with no dramas.
Watch the NRL LIVE with a 2-week free trial.
Get the NRL Digital Pass now!
"Gal (Paul Gallen) kept picking on me in the middle there and kept running at me so it was a fun night in the office."
With the Tigers coming back from 10 points behind to secure their first win in three weeks, Farah was a very happy man at full-time - especially with his team's persistence.
"I thought we were in control of the game and we conceded two soft tries and dropped our heads and found ourselves behind by 10 points. We knew if we controlled the ball and got some more opportunities at the other end of the park we could score some points," Farah said.
Shrewd Wests Tigers coach Mick Potter echoed his captain's thought, claiming it was nice to get the win considering their slow start in the second half.
"It's not pleasant when you get behind on the scoreboard. I thought we were doing quite a few things right and we just had a little bit of a lapse and a little bit of lack of energy there and to have back-to-back tries against you really upsets you as a coach and I'm sure it upset the players as well," Potter said.
"It's satisfying for the players to show their grit. Other teams might panic but our players kept their composure and knew there was plenty of time on the board to come back. It's pleasing. I think our senior players bound us together there.
"[The win] keeps us on the right side of the ledger to try and push for that final eight. There's a long way to go just yet but that was one we didn't want to let get away."
