David Klemmer will play his old club for the first time in Magic Round and the man brought in to replace him is using the game as motivation to press his claims for an Origin jersey.
Bulldogs prop Dylan Napa is on the path back from a stint on the sideline due to an ankle injury, and while Klemmer in a Knights jersey is likely to fire up his old teammates, Napa’s main concern is winning the battle in the middle and impressing Maroons coach Kevin Walters.
“He plays in the same position as me and plays in a different team, so it’s always going to be a battle in the middle. But this game won’t hit home for me as [much as] it will for the other guys who played with Dave for years,” Napa told Big League.
“I just want to get back to playing good footy so I can put myself in a position to be selected [for Queensland].”
Suncorp Stadium has been the scene for some big hits from Napa, but he said he is more mindful of picking and choosing times to be aggressive on-field.
“I heard Sam Burgess talking on the Matty Johns Show about how he picks his battles, but you’ve got to pick your times and you’ve got to be smart with it.
“If it is going to happen, then it’ll happen. But if it’s not going to help my team win, then I’m not going to do it. All I can do is my bit to help us win games, and that doesn’t mean being selfish and racing out of the line to put a hit on someone that would only put our team under pressure.”
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