Klemmer excited to face off with Graham

Australia prop David Klemmer says he can't wait to take on close friend James Graham when the two Canterbury enforcers meet in Sunday's Four Nations clash.

One is a proud Sydney 'westie' the other a teak-tough Scouser from Liverpool but David Klemmer and James Graham will put their close friendship on hold for 80 minutes on Sunday.

The Canterbury duo are two of the most competitive players in the NRL and will go head to head for the first time in a must-win game for the hosts at the London Olympic Stadium.

Both have incurred the wrath of the NRL judiciary during the four seasons they've played together and Klemmer admits it's going to be interesting lining up against his club skipper.

"It should be good Bupa (Graham), he's a great competitor and he's loves England," Klemmer told AAP.

"He talks about it all the time at training and how much he loves his country.

"He missed the last game but he was very good in England's first game against New Zealand."

England dominated the Kiwis in the opening 20 minutes of their match in Huddersfield, but it was no coincidence that David Kidwell's side got a foothold on the game, which they won 17-16, when Graham left for the interchange bench.

Wayne Bennett has confirmed he will be fit to play the Kangaroos after being sidelined due to a knee injury against Scotland and Klemmer said his competitive nature and will to win makes England a far tougher proposition.

"His eyes start rolling, sometimes when I'm playing I look to the side and think 'what's this bloke doing?'," he said.

"He can go a bit mental, but he is a competitor and I love playing alongside him, he really knows how to get the best out of me.

"He is a such a good asset for that England team, he's tough, strong and also a good ball player as well."

Despite knowing Graham's game inside out, Klemmer denied he'll be doing anything to get under his skipper's skin during the game.

"No, not at all, to be honest it's a bit fast out there to be having too much of a chat," he said.

"I'm sure our paths will cross during the game and I'm looking forward to it."


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Source: AAP



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