In the case of Joe Duffy at Orange CYMS, he's embracing the gauntlet that's about to be laid down during a Group 10 Magic Round blockbuster.

The green and golds will travel to Carrington Park for a showdown with the Mudgee Dragons as two of the best packs in the competition will lock horns.

Mudgee has constantly drawn praise off opposing players for their go-forward, and a huge chunk of that potency comes from former NRL bulldozer Clay Priest.

Duffy and Priest will see their fair share of each other during round 15, something the former is excited about.

"I rate Clay [Priest] as one of the best in the comp," he said.

"I'm keen to get out there and try to match it with him. Obviously I'll have the likes of Jack [Buchanan] and Ethan [Bereyne] with me, but he's [Priest] one of the best I've played against."

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Not only will he have to overcome a tough match-up against Mudgee, he'll have to do it after enduring a 14-day lockdown period as he and housemate Lachie Munro were locked indoors for two weeks, missing out on some crucial training time at Norton Park.

He's since had two sessions back with the team, insisting his lunges were tested during the run around.

The green and golds can take a huge leap towards the minor premiership if they're able to trump the Dragons on Saturday.

"It's time for us to start to build towards the finals," he said.

What Priest is to the forward pack, Jack Littlejohn is to back line, prompting warning signal from Duffy.

"He's got one of the best kicking games in the competition and as a team, you can play on the back of that," he said.

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