Tigers boost ... Aaron Woods will feature against newcastle on Monday night. Source:News Limited
He knows he is going to need all the muscle he can muster up front to combat a beefed-up Newcastle Knights pack tonight.
And new Wests Tigers coach Mick Potter got what he was hoping for on Sunday when tough prop Aaron Woods showed no ill-effects from off-season knee surgery at the club's final training session at Concord Oval to declare himself a certain starter.
Woods, a NSW Origin contender last year, missed the Tigers's pre-season trials and was originally named as 19th man for the Newcastle clash.
But he has dispelled any doubts over his fitness and will come into the squad for Bodene Thompson, who was originally named on the bench but played for the Tigers in NSW Cup against the Sharks on Sunday.
"Bodene's playing here at Shark Park so you can take it as read Aaron will be in the squad tomorrow night," Tigers spokesman Wayne Cousins said.
"He passed a fitness test at training this morning.
"Whether he starts or comes off the bench is up to Mick but he hasn't played in any of our trials."
After a difficult week which saw more than 100 players and officials from the club travel to Brisbane for the funeral of Toyota Cup star Mosese Fotuaika on Thursday, it is hard to gauge how the Tigers' state of mind will be leading into the opening round game.
The Knights have had no such distractions with coach Wayne Bennett confirming the 17 he named last week will take their place.
Prop Willie Mason has battled calf tightness during the build-up but trained the full session on Sunday and is in no doubt for the game.
Bennett blamed stage fright for the Knights' disastrous start to the 2012 season, a performance from which they never really recovered.
But 12 months on, he does not see that as being a problem.
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The addition of big match players like Jeremy Smith and Beau Scott, and Mason's presence, have no doubt reassured him.
"I think it will be a big night tomorrow night and we're all excited about it," he said.
New Knights hooker Travis Waddell faces a baptism of fire up against one of the best No.9s in the game in Tigers skipper Robbie Farah. Waddell has only been fulltime with the club for the past week but Bennett is convinced he is ready to go.
"I'm really confident he will be good. He won't let us down," Bennett said.
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