Despite being shown the door after suffering his tragic neck injury, Souths prop Ben Ross holds no ill-feelings towards the club that perhaps did not do as much as they should have, to assist in his recovery from a horrible injury.
For Ross however, he can understand the position that the Sharks decided to take following his neck injury, and for that, he holds no grudges against them.
“I feel like a little kid again, I’m that excited,” Ross said yesterday. “The only aggression I have towards them will be [all about] Friday night, like they’ll have for me.”
Ross is full of respect and adoration for his former club, the Cronulla Sharks, and he also respects their decision to not award him with another chance at the club.
“I was told I’d probably never play again and that was, sort of, a risk they didn’t want to take,” the 30-year-old said.
“It was hard leaving … but I’ve never had a bad word to say about Cronulla and never will. I left on really good terms.”I had a bad year with a broken neck and I understand why they let me go [so] there was never a bad feeling and I never will have a bad feeling against the Sharks.
“I’m only positive now Souths have allowed me to play football and I’m in this spot.”
With injuries decimating Souths front-row ranks, with Sam Burgess, Scott Geddes and Luke Stuart all out for lengthy periods of time, Ross will start his first game since 2009, alongside skipper, Roy Asotasi.
The match is sure to be a heckler for Ross, given he still lives in Cronulla where he owns his own pharmacy.
Despite this however, he is looking forward to receiving a few niggling gestures from his former team-mates, as well as catching up with them.
“If this rain hangs around it’s going to play into Cronulla’s hands,” he said.
“They’re a really good forward pack and, being there for four years, I know what they’re going to bring and I’ve told the boys: expect the toughest pack you’ll play all year.”