From www.nrl.com:
South Sydney skipper Peter Cusack well remembers the day New Zealand Warriors prop Ruben Wiki ripped apart his Rabbitohs this NRL season.
The Bunnies were thumped 46-14 in Auckland in round seven. And while the club may have lost 12 other games this season, Cusack admits that defeat was particularly crushing.
Come Sunday at Telstra Stadium, Cusack and the Rabbitohs aim to make amends.
"It's always the way when you come up against a team you haven't done so well against, to get one back at them and perform well," said Cusack.
"A lot of the games we've ended up losing we were in those games for 40 to 60 minutes before the score blew out towards the end.
"But with the Warriors, from the start we were virtually never ever in that game.
"Ruben Wiki cut us to pieces, he scored two tries, so that will be in the back of our minds. They just played far too good for us.
"If we can control (Wiki and fellow prop Steve Price tomorrow) it will go a fair way towards us winning the game."
It's not just in 2006 Souths has struggled against the Warriors.
The Rabbitohs haven't beaten New Zealand since it was reinstated to the competition in 2002 - they're last victory over the Warriors coming seven years ago.
"I don't think the Bunnies have got a good recent record against any teams, but the Warriors ... since I joined Souths I've played them three times and each time there's been a pretty big scoreline against us," said Cusack.
The Warriors, 13th on the table, will be chasing their third win on the trot after impressive results against the Sydney Roosters and Newcastle.
Last-placed Souths, meanwhile, come into the game after following up its first win of the year over Brisbane with an insipid display against fellow strugglers Parramatta.
Home ground advantage, though, Cusack believes will be a big plus. The Warriors have won only one of their past five games at Telstra Stadium.
And Souths recruitment for 2007 may also prove a benefit. With Nigel Vagana, David Kidwell and Dean Widders all set to done the red and green next year, Cusack believes the pressure is on for him and his teammates to prove their worth on the pitch.
"There's quite a few blokes that aren't signed for next year," said Cusack.
"I'm already signed for next year, but if I was one of those blokes (off contract) I'd be wanting to play well ... not just for a chance to stay in Souths, but to show other clubs as well.
"It's your career, so you want to be playing well. The buys we've got are probably the best off-season recruitment we've had for a few years and that's mainly down to (new owners) Peter Holmes a Court and Russell Crowe."
South Sydney skipper Peter Cusack well remembers the day New Zealand Warriors prop Ruben Wiki ripped apart his Rabbitohs this NRL season.
The Bunnies were thumped 46-14 in Auckland in round seven. And while the club may have lost 12 other games this season, Cusack admits that defeat was particularly crushing.
Come Sunday at Telstra Stadium, Cusack and the Rabbitohs aim to make amends.
"It's always the way when you come up against a team you haven't done so well against, to get one back at them and perform well," said Cusack.
"A lot of the games we've ended up losing we were in those games for 40 to 60 minutes before the score blew out towards the end.
"But with the Warriors, from the start we were virtually never ever in that game.
"Ruben Wiki cut us to pieces, he scored two tries, so that will be in the back of our minds. They just played far too good for us.
"If we can control (Wiki and fellow prop Steve Price tomorrow) it will go a fair way towards us winning the game."
It's not just in 2006 Souths has struggled against the Warriors.
The Rabbitohs haven't beaten New Zealand since it was reinstated to the competition in 2002 - they're last victory over the Warriors coming seven years ago.
"I don't think the Bunnies have got a good recent record against any teams, but the Warriors ... since I joined Souths I've played them three times and each time there's been a pretty big scoreline against us," said Cusack.
The Warriors, 13th on the table, will be chasing their third win on the trot after impressive results against the Sydney Roosters and Newcastle.
Last-placed Souths, meanwhile, come into the game after following up its first win of the year over Brisbane with an insipid display against fellow strugglers Parramatta.
Home ground advantage, though, Cusack believes will be a big plus. The Warriors have won only one of their past five games at Telstra Stadium.
And Souths recruitment for 2007 may also prove a benefit. With Nigel Vagana, David Kidwell and Dean Widders all set to done the red and green next year, Cusack believes the pressure is on for him and his teammates to prove their worth on the pitch.
"There's quite a few blokes that aren't signed for next year," said Cusack.
"I'm already signed for next year, but if I was one of those blokes (off contract) I'd be wanting to play well ... not just for a chance to stay in Souths, but to show other clubs as well.
"It's your career, so you want to be playing well. The buys we've got are probably the best off-season recruitment we've had for a few years and that's mainly down to (new owners) Peter Holmes a Court and Russell Crowe."
