Of all the highlights and special moments for James Tedesco so far in season 2016, the fullback says the most exciting thing of all is being in the hunt for finals football.
Having played 67 games so far in his NRL career, Tedesco says he's never gone into the last few games of the regular season with the chance of a top eight finish on the line — much like many of Wests Tigers' young squad. And while there's still plenty of work to do in the final five weeks of the season to turn that dream into a reality, the 23-year-old said simply being a chance at the finals is something which is giving him and the team plenty of excitement.
"It's been a really positive week amongst the boys," Tedesco said.
"We've had two wins in a row and I don't think we've had three wins in a row for while, so if we can get one this Sunday out at Leichhardt — it should be a cracking game for us.
"We know we can mix it with the best in the league, so we're looking forward to it.
"We've had a good emphasis on completions and kicking to the corners, and our defence has been a real positive for us over the last few weeks and it's coming along well.
"It's a different feeling to still be in the hunt for the finals," he enthused.
"In years gone by we've been in the fight not to get the wooden spoon, and now we're in the fight to make the eight — it's a big positive sign for us that we're going forward.
"All the boys are hyped and pumped about that at the moment. Not many of us have been in this position before so we're really looking forward to a strong end to the season."
See what James had to say in full about this week's game and more in the video above!
Sunday afternoon footy returns to Leichhardt Oval when we take on the Cowboys!
