League: Lockyer and Johns going head to head

SYDNEY - Queensland State of Origin rugby league captain Darren Lockyer said his latest battle with champion Blues half Andrew Johns is not a "world title" bout.

At various stages during the past three or four years, Lockyer and Johns have held the title "world's best player".

But Lockyer said his 13th meeting with Johns in the Origin ring here tomorrow night would not settle arguments among fans as to who was the best player in rugby league.

"All I know is it's always a challenge playing against Andrew," Lockyer said.

"If you win, you feel like you have had a victory over a rival you've had a bit of confrontation with over the years.

Many New South Wales fans regard Johns as one of the great players of all time.

He's played 21 Origin matches, 12 of them against Lockyer.

Not surprisingly there's not much between their head to head records since they first clashed in 1998, with Johns boasting six wins and Lockyer four victories. There have been two draws.

Johns will be a little underdone having played just nine games in two years following serious knee and jaw injuries.

The two-time Golden Boot winner, however, is hungry after so long on the sidelines and he still has that aura that even makes champion players like Lockyer nervous.

When Johns had a knee reconstruction in 2004, Lockyer inherited the Australian captaincy.

A stunning Ashes performance resulted in him claiming Johns' title as the game's best player.

Tomorrow's match at Sydney's Telstra Stadium will be a little different with Lockyer now playing in the halves which puts him a lot closer to Johns.

Lockyer didn't want to buy into suggestions that tomorrow's winner could legitimately call himself the best player in the world.

"The one thing I know is he's a really good competitor who'll be doing everything in his power to get a win for NSW," Lockyer said.

"That's the way I have to think as well."

Lockyer said Johns' unpredictable kicking game would make NSW more dangerous.

"You can't predict anything about his kicking game, you just have to be ready for everything and anything on the night."

The Queenslanders were heckled when they went for a team walk around the streets of Parramatta yesterday but it was nothing compared with what they will cop at Telstra Stadium tomorrow.

The main target will be forward enforcer Carl Webb whom Lockyer said had taken over Gorden Tallis' mantle as the player Blues' fans wanted to hate.

Queensland, with Souths utility Ashley Harrison on standby as 18th man, will wrap up preparations with a training session at Telstra Stadium tomorrow morning.

* State of Origin 2, Telstra Stadium, Sydney, 9:30pm tomorrow

- AAP