Southern Districts coach Matt Barr is confident his team are ready to put on a show for their old boys when the Rebels host Gordon on Saturday.
Souths will hold their annual Back to St George Day to commemorate the merger between St George and Port Hacking that founded the club in 1989.
The Rebels are in fourth place, five points behind leaders Randwick heading into the round eight clash at Foreshaw Rugby Park.
Barr told The Leader he expected a tough challenge from a desperate Gordon.
“They’ve only had one win this season but the comp is quite tough at present,” he said.
“Right through from first to 11th you’ve got to be on your game otherwise the opposition will test you out.
“I expect the same from Gordon this week so we need to make sure we’re switched on.”
First grade captain Duncan Chubb will play his 150th game for the club and Barr paid tribute to the tough forward who has led by example since Souths lost skipper Marcus Carbone to a knee injury.
“Duncan’s sort of unfortunate that when he came to the club it was in an era when they were really struggling,” he said.
“He said the first couple of years they were lucky to win a couple of games.
“But he’s enjoying being part of the club at present, he’s experienced the highs and lows and is a wonderful leader for us.
“He did a magnificent job for us in the pre-season and now our scrum is one of the most consistent weapons for us.
“We’re scoring penalty tries and putting the opposition under so much pressure and a lot of it is down to him and the way he leads.”
The Rebels snuck home to down Parramatta 27-26 last weekend and Barr said the team would be pushing for another win on Back to St George Day.
“It is a big game, our last home game against Norths on Back to Port Hacking shows what an important game it is for the club,” he said.
“We want to put on a good show for our old boys, our former St George players.
“We need to be really respectful of it and come out and get the job done.”
