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Bulldogs hooker Michael Ennis and his Wests Tigers opposite Robbie Farah do not like each other.
The scene is the Wests Tigers' season launch on an evening cruise on Sydney Harbour 12 nights ago.
Tigers captain Robbie Farah is being interviewed on stage by Fox Sports commentator Warren Smith.
Smith tosses up the subject of the round-one showdown with the Bulldogs at ANZ Stadium tomorrow night.
"What about meeting Michael Ennis first up," Smith asks. "Mick who?" Farah replies.
It was an off-the-cuff response and, in fairness, Farah went on to answer the question - with no mention of Ennis.
There is genuine ill-feeling between Farah, the NSW hooker for the opening two games of 2009, and Ennis, the man who replaced him and has four Blues jerseys to his name.
Further complicating the picture is the three Kangaroo jumpers Farah has accumulated over the same period, an honour Ennis is yet to achieve.
When The Sunday Telegraph approached Farah to talk about Ennis last week, Wests Tigers were swift to make the captain off limits.
It was co-incidentally the same line the last time the Tigers met the Bulldogs.
It all just adds to the intrigue in this ongoing battle between the two hookers.
Like it or not, the Ennis-Farah rivalry is here to stay.
They are completely different styles of players and completely different characters off the field.
Where Ennis is Country, Farah is City.
As much as the spin doctors might try to hose this one down, there is no denying the bad blood.
Bulldogs hooker Ennis understands the appeal of the personal duel and has got to the point where he's just decided to embrace it.
"In terms of the rivalry with me and Farah, I'm so far past it that it's not funny," Ennis said.
"I can understand the rivalry given the Bulldogs and the Tigers are both western Sydney teams and it's easy to throw Ennis and Farah in on the back of it.
"I can see why the fans enjoy it and anything that is going to put bums on seats and showcase our game to a greater audience I'm all for.
"But I'm so focused on our club and my role among the team, if I go out there worrying about this one-on-one battle then I actually think I could lose sight of my role.
"If I do that, I can have a really negative impact on the team.
"That's not something I'm comfortable doing.
"It's part of maturing as a footballer but also as a person.
"I really do feel I've come a long way in terms of that."
As mature as both Ennis and Farah are, come the first scrum tomorrow night there are guaranteed to be some glazed eyeballs. Maybe even a few words.
And this is just the first chapter in the battle for the NSW No. 9 jumper.
[Source](http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/nrl/michael-ennis-robbie-farah-rivalry-here-to-stay/story-e6frfgbo-1226020329542)
The scene is the Wests Tigers' season launch on an evening cruise on Sydney Harbour 12 nights ago.
Tigers captain Robbie Farah is being interviewed on stage by Fox Sports commentator Warren Smith.
Smith tosses up the subject of the round-one showdown with the Bulldogs at ANZ Stadium tomorrow night.
"What about meeting Michael Ennis first up," Smith asks. "Mick who?" Farah replies.
It was an off-the-cuff response and, in fairness, Farah went on to answer the question - with no mention of Ennis.
There is genuine ill-feeling between Farah, the NSW hooker for the opening two games of 2009, and Ennis, the man who replaced him and has four Blues jerseys to his name.
Further complicating the picture is the three Kangaroo jumpers Farah has accumulated over the same period, an honour Ennis is yet to achieve.
When The Sunday Telegraph approached Farah to talk about Ennis last week, Wests Tigers were swift to make the captain off limits.
It was co-incidentally the same line the last time the Tigers met the Bulldogs.
It all just adds to the intrigue in this ongoing battle between the two hookers.
Like it or not, the Ennis-Farah rivalry is here to stay.
They are completely different styles of players and completely different characters off the field.
Where Ennis is Country, Farah is City.
As much as the spin doctors might try to hose this one down, there is no denying the bad blood.
Bulldogs hooker Ennis understands the appeal of the personal duel and has got to the point where he's just decided to embrace it.
"In terms of the rivalry with me and Farah, I'm so far past it that it's not funny," Ennis said.
"I can understand the rivalry given the Bulldogs and the Tigers are both western Sydney teams and it's easy to throw Ennis and Farah in on the back of it.
"I can see why the fans enjoy it and anything that is going to put bums on seats and showcase our game to a greater audience I'm all for.
"But I'm so focused on our club and my role among the team, if I go out there worrying about this one-on-one battle then I actually think I could lose sight of my role.
"If I do that, I can have a really negative impact on the team.
"That's not something I'm comfortable doing.
"It's part of maturing as a footballer but also as a person.
"I really do feel I've come a long way in terms of that."
As mature as both Ennis and Farah are, come the first scrum tomorrow night there are guaranteed to be some glazed eyeballs. Maybe even a few words.
And this is just the first chapter in the battle for the NSW No. 9 jumper.
[Source](http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/nrl/michael-ennis-robbie-farah-rivalry-here-to-stay/story-e6frfgbo-1226020329542)
