‘Never feel we can't win': Raging Bull warns Lions about Australian spirit
The Wallabies were already underdogs to beat the Lions but injuries to key men have seen them pushed to massive outsiders, with bookies now rating them only a $4 chance to get the win over a star-laden opposition in the opening Test of the series on Saturday.
The Wallabies have a total Test cap count of 641, while the Lions have a combined 1172 Test caps experience. Few are tipping Australia to win.
It's all familiar territory in Queensland ahead of a State of Origin series, and Farrell said he was reminded of the mentality that the hosts will carry into the game after bumping into former league rival Gorden Tallis in Brisbane's CBD on Thursday.
Farrell and Tallis faced off in the 13-man code several times between 1997 and 2000, when the now-Lions rugby coach was captain of the Great Britain Lions rugby league side. Farrell had a 13-year, 44-Test career in league before making a career in rugby union, and ranks a 1994 win with Wigan over the Broncos at Lang Park as one of his career highlights.
'I actually saw him [on] the street. I went, 'Gordie', he said, 'flipping heck'. So we had a good 20 minutes in the street, and it was good to catch up with him,' Farrell said.
'He used to say everyone used to talk about Queensland being underdogs. He said we never, ever saw it that way. And Australia will be exactly the same.'
Tallis later told this masthead he'd given Farrell an insight into the Australian mentality when written off - not just Queensland - and said he believed the Wallabies would summon the same spirit at Suncorp.
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