RUGBY LEAGUE
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Corrimal prop Mitch Stokes admits two weeks without a game will make the Cougars clash with perennial heavyweights Wests even tougher, after wet weather played havoc with the start of their season.
While league leaders Thirroul are the only club yet to be affected by rain, the Cougars are the only side yet to take the field in 2014 with their opening two rounds being washed out.
They will play their first make-up match against Wests and Parrish Park on Thursday night and Stokes said his side is keen to make a statement.
"The boys have been pretty frustrated. The first two rounds were big clashes for us against Wests and Collegians and that would've shown where we're at so we're really looking forward to Thursday," Stokes said.
"We're still going to be underdogs. Wests have come out and had a really good win against Dapto and we haven't proved anything at the moment.
"Hopefully they'll come out and be a bit cocky because Corrimal have always been the easybeats.
"We've got a completely different team to last year, I'm a new recruit, and last year really means nothing."
Stokes will pack down in the front-row alongside fellow new recruit Jacob Hind who, along with Dylan Strickland, Nathan Smith and Kalifi Tia-Kalifi, has come to the Cougars by way of the Illawarra Cutters.
Not a fan of club-hopping, Hind said he and his Cutters teammates don't see the Cougars as a halfway house.
"Even though we're all coming together from different teams and different areas all the boys are getting together for a common cause which is to rubbish that claim that we're the 'easy beats'."
Dapto will face Helensburgh in the other deferred round one clash at Dapto Showground on Friday afternoon.