EELS prop Justin Poore is so anxious ahead of his round one clash with former Dragons teammates, he was lost for words yesterday when asked how it will feel to line up opposite the big Red V for the first time.
The 2009 State of Origin star joined the Eels pre-season camp in November after playing all six seasons of his first-grade career for St George Illawarra.
Poore, 25, will not play in Saturday's trial against the Dragons in Perth, with the Eels' new hit man told by coach Daniel Anderson to "take it easy". While Poore was left out of the Eels' first trial match after not missing a single session of the Eels' gruelling pre-season, he was relieved to postpone his nerve-racking showdown with former teammates.
"It's a pretty emotional game so it's not a bad thing I'm missing it," Poore said at Parramatta Stadium yesterday. "I've actually been quite nervous just thinking about it. It's excitement and nerves all rolled into one, then you get the nervous shakes and forget about it.
Poore said good friend Michael Weyman was the player he was most confused about meeting as an enemy for the first time."I don't even know how to explain it. At least it's here at Parramatta Stadium."
"I'm going to laugh at him in the first scrum. I really do wish them all the best but obviously there has to be a winner and a loser. Hopefully we can win.
"I think because Saints were my only club it's going to be weird playing against the Red V," he said.
"I've always played in it not against it.
"The Saints have always had a tough pack and I was very proud to be part of that pack last year so I'm not thrilled about coming up against any of those guys. I think the Eels this year have got the same traits - they're both smart packs and they're both strong packs."
The Eels have named a strong squad for Saturday's trial, with Poore saying the club's only problem is they have too many talented footballers to fit into a 17-man side.
The Eels have been strengthened by the inclusions of Poore, rugby convert Timana Tahu and former Roosters forward Shane Shackleton.
"It's actually a big problem for us but it's a problem teams want to have," Poore said. "We've got some big-name players who might be forced on to the bench or who might not even be playing. It's a credit to the coaching staff and the boys that we have this problem."
The other issue confronting Poore is that Anderson has told him he needs to increase the number of off-loads he performs to fit in with the Eels' aggressive passing game.
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