WHEN they’re sitting on the lounge at home, professional rugby league players are more likely to watch Netflix than NRL games.
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They sit through enough video of their rivals through the week, but there was one game each year that Dragons forward James Graham has never missed.
It’s what leaves the former Bulldogs enforcer humbled by the opportunity to take the field for his new club in Wednesday’s traditional Anzac Day clash with the Roosters.
“I’ve not played Anzac Day before but this is a really special one,” Graham said.
“It’s one of those games, when you're around the competition, you always look at and admire. It’s something I’ve been really looking forward to being a part of, to represent my club in this capacity, for many reasons.
“The big one for me is just to say thanks to all the people that have served, not just Australia, New Zealand and Great Britain but the free world and given us the right to live in a free world and everything that comes with that.
“It's very easy to forget. Sometimes I think you need reminding of that because the world can be a pretty bad place and we live in a great country. We should appreciate that.”
The Dragons remain on top of the ladder with six wins from their first seven games despite suffering their first loss of the season to the Warriors last week.
A grinding 6-0 win over the Bulldogs last weeks sees the Roosters coming in at 4-3.
It's a largely underwhelming start for a side carrying the big expectations that have accompanied Cooper Cronk and James Tedesco’s arrival at Moore Park.
Ladder position has traditionally meant very little in Anzac Day clashes and Graham expects the occasion to bring out the best in Trent Robinson’s side.
“It’s an emotional game, we have to ride that emotion,” Graham said.
"The world can be a pretty bad place and we live in a great country so we should appreciate that. Sometimes you need reminding because it's very easy to forget."
- James Graham
“They’re a good side no matter what anyone says. They’ve had a couple of results that have not gone their way that might have gone their way. They’ve been a little bit unlucky.
“We’re ready for the best Roosters team. They’re a class side, they’ve got class players and we’re going to need to really bring our a game to get close to them.”
The Dragons lost few fans in the loss to the Warriors in what was arguably the match of the season in Auckland on Friday night.
The short turnaround makes Wednesday’s showdown their biggest test of the year thus far, but Graham says his side need to embrace the challenge.
“There’s going to be highs and lows throughout the year we’ve got to be ready for the tough times and I think we are,” he said.
“When they come we’ve got to be resilient and do what we do well as a team which is playing for each other.”