Garner up for the contest against rep forward

Wests Tigers forward Luke Garner is ready for the challenge against one of the game’s in-from edge forwards when he clashes with Melbourne’s representative star Felise Kaufusi on Saturday night.

Garner is eager for the test against the Queensland and Australia back-rower, and said he and his teammates are ready to face-off against the defending premiers on the Sunshine Coast.

“Melbourne have a strong edge that I’ll be opposing. I’m looking forward to the challenge and hopefully we can get it over them,” Garner said.

“He [Kaufusi] is a quality player — he’s played Origin and Tests. It’ll be a good challenge for me and I’m excited for it.

“I like to be challenged each week and it’s no different this week.”

Although Wests Tigers suffered a heavy loss against Parramatta in Round 14, Coach Michael Maguire has stuck solid with the same forward pack for Saturday night’s fixture against the Storm — giving Garner a stack of confidence.

“After a loss, you get a bit down on yourself, but Madge picking the same team (in the forwards) is reassuring and he has confidence in us to do our job,” he said.

“He’s really shown faith in me and I really appreciate it.”

“Last week was a bit of a bump in the road, but we know what we need to do to get back on the right path.”

Garner understands it’s always a challenge against the Craig Bellamy’s men, but is ready for battle.

“They’ve probably been the best team over the past decade — we’re prepared and ready for that and we’ll be looking to take it to them,” Garner said.

“They’re a quality side and it’ll be a good challenge for us.”