DRAGONS playmaker Gareth Widdop has defended Test teammate James Graham in the wake of calls for the England International to be stripped of the Canterbury captaincy for his conduct in the Bulldogs dramatic Good Friday loss to the Rabbitohs.
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The Bulldogs will be without their inspirational skipper against Widdop’s Dragons this week after he was slapped with a grade three contrary conduct charge for abusing referee Gerard Sutton in the dying stages of the loss to Rabbitohs.
An additional dangerous contact charge for colliding with the legs of Rabbitohs halfback Adam Reynolds as he attempted a match-winning field goal will see Graham spend four weeks on the sidelines and has led to calls for him to curb the on-field aggression that’s characterised his three-year stint in the NRL.
His side will benefit from Graham’s absence on Sunday but Widdop said Graham doesn’t need to drastically change his style of play.
‘‘I’ve played with him a few times and he’s a great leader,’’ Widdop said.
‘‘He certainly leads by example and he’s a very passionate sort of fellow as we’ve seen over the last week or so. If you know Jammer he’s a very intense player when he gets out on the field. That’s just the way he is, he’s a really really passionate emotional sort of dude and you love playing with those sorts of players. He just hates losing and you’d rather that than him not caring about it.
‘‘He’ll probably learn from what’s gone on and that, as captain, there’s probably other ways to react but he’s a great leader of their club and he’ll do a great job for the Dogs.’’
Graham is one of six top-liners unavailable for the clash with the Dragons who are chasing their fourth straight win but Widdop said that’s sure to fire the famous dogs of war mentality.
‘‘James is certainly a big loss but they’ve got players who I’m sure will come in and do their job,’’ Widdop said.
‘‘He’s big loss but they’ve still got a really strong side. We’ll have a look at the Bulldogs and how they’ve been playing but we’ll be focusing on ourselves first and foremost.’’
It will be a milestone match for Widdop who will make his 100th NRL appearance. It’s some feat for a boy from Halifax who moved to AFL-mad Melbourne as a teenager.
‘‘When I look back on it now from moving from the other side of the world to Melbourne in an AFL-dominated state to now end up at the Dragons...it’s been a pretty amazing journey,’’ he said.
‘‘It’s certainly gone very quick from debuting down in Melbourne to playing my 100th game. I don’t know where the time’s gone but it’s obviously a very proud moment. I’ve really enjoyed it so far and hopefully I’ve got a number of years left in me yet.’’
