WHILE many pundits are complaining about the NRL's crackdown on head-high contact, one person that isn't is Gerringong's Jackson Ford.
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With a number of his teammates being suspended by the NRL judiciary during their push to eliminate foul play from the game, not to mention the club's increasing injury toll, it has opened the door for Ford in St George Illawarra's 17-man squad.
The 23-year-old started at lock during the Red V's loss to the Sharks last round and has retained his spot in Anthony Griffin's run-on side, which will face the Wests Tigers at Bankwest Stadium on Friday.
"It's great to get another opportunity to prove myself this weekend," Ford said.
"I thought I did my job well last week and with the club's current unavailabilities, I get another chance this Friday, which I'm really excited about.
"While I probably prefer the edge, I feel just as comfortable in the middle of the field, as I like getting in there with the boy fellas.
"Hook [Griffin] has emphasised he wants me to concentrate on my defence, including winning tackles, making strong first contact and not taking a backwards step.
"I'm going to try to take this opportunity the best I can and run with it."
Ford, who played 12 games in 2020, admits this season has been tough on him thus far.
"It's been hard to really develop any consistency, going back and forth between first grade and NSW Cup, especially when I might only play 40 minutes for the latter," he said.
"Chuck in a couple of 18th men stints in there and it's been really tough and quite frustrating.
"But I'm not too worried about that right now, rather concentrating on the Tigers on Friday and sticking it to them from the opening whistle."
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