Adrian Morley is better equipped than most to deal with the sweltering heat in North Queensland.
Warrington skipper returns to Oz in bid to upset the hosts
Adrian Morley is better equipped than most to deal with the sweltering heat that the England side will face when they touch down in North Queensland.
Morley enjoyed a spell in Australia's National Rugby League with Sydney Roosters and has played six times at the Dairy Farmers' Stadium, where England take on Papua New Guinea on Saturday.
The Warrington captain remembers the first time he travelled to Australia, where he went from a harsh English winter to blistering sunshine when he represented Great Britain in 1997 at the World Nines.
He said: "It was a bit of a shock to the system because it was February.
"I had never been to Australia before and I thought the whole of the country had that kind of temperature and humidity. Afterwards I learned that, that wasn't the case but it was tough playing in that environment."
England coach Tony Smith has prepared his squad for any eventuality in a bid to combat the heat and humidity as Morley explains.
He said: "We did conditioning in the heat chambers to simulate the conditions we can expect in Townsville so I think we will be very well prepared."
Conviction
Saturday's match against Papua New Guinea is a step into the unknown for Morley and his team-mates. Only Hull KR duo Stanley Gene and Makali Aizue and captain John Wilshire from Salford ply their trade in the English Super League.
Morley is understandably wary of the opposition.
He said: "They will not only be used to the conditions but we don't know much about their squad so it's a very tricky game. It's a game we're expected to win and it's one we should be winning with a bit of conviction to give us some momentum for the rest of the tournament."
With England rated by the bookies as joint second favourites, much will be made of their crunch clash with Australia on Sunday week and Morley is confident about England's chances.
He said: "I think we've got a great chance. Confidence is very high. We've been aiming for this for 18 months now. We've come over here with a real spring in our step and we're determined to give it our best shot."
