St George Illawarra Dragons hooker Andrew McCullough says starting the year of defensively strong is key.

He also shared some insights into the new rules brought in by the NRL.

“If you can start the year off defensively strong, your attack builds throughout the year,” he told Peter Psaltis on Wide World of Sports.

“Defence, desire, energy all those things tie into defence, when you do that well and you want to play for one another, sure you’re not going to win every game you’re going to give yourself a chance to be there or there abouts.”

He has found the game has “picked up” in speed and also shared his insights into the new rules.

“The pace is sort of similar it’s just that the stoppages are non existent,” he said.

“I’ve found it quite upbeat and quite quick at times, but then there will be stoppages for 5 minutes for certain calls or misunderstandings. I certainly have found the game has picked up.”

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