What did James Tedesco ever do to Viliame Kikau?
'He's a beast, and he's been playing such good footy. That [left] edge for them is dangerous with 'Kiks' and 'Burto' [Matt Burton].
'Hopefully the boys up front can stop him so I'm not stuck with one-on-one.
'I remember that [debut]. I just remember catching the bomb and getting absolutely flattened.
'If you give him time and space, he creates a lot of momentum and a lot of opportunities. It will be a big job for our right edge on Friday night. It's been a big talking point for us this week. They'll be up for it, for sure.'
Tedesco has appreciated the rise of the Bulldogs under coach Cameron Ciraldo, someone he played alongside with Italy at the 2013 World Cup and played under when Ciraldo took charge of the Azzurri at the 2017 Cup.
NRL table-toppers Canterbury have been excellent across the opening 10 rounds – but so has Tedesco, who playing well enough to return to the Origin arena, but already made peace he will not be the NSW No.1 named on Sunday night.
The 32-year-old lost his Blues spot last year to Penrith's four-time premiership winner Dylan Edwards, who is expected to keep the custodian role.
Tedesco said he was at the stage of his career where he was more than comfortable to block out the Origin talk.
He added it was much harder to perform each week when there was the pressure of being the Origin incumbent.
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'It's easier than being on the other side,' Tedesco said.
'I was there for seven or eight years as [NSW] fullback, then the start of the year rolls around, people start talking about form, and other fullbacks. I think that was definitely harder [to deal with]. I haven't felt that this year.
'As I've got older and more experienced, I'm a lot better at that. When you're young, you're looking for people to give you positive comments. I've realised to 'let go', and not focus on that.'
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