BLAKE Lawrie’s not sure whether Steve ‘Blocker’ Roach is okay with him having the same nickname as the legendary rugby league prop.

Technically, it isn’t quite the same since Lawrie prefers an ‘a’ on the end of his as opposed to ‘e-r’. Maybe it’s a millenial thing.

“Hopefully he is, but if he’s not I’ll tell people to stop calling me that,” Lawrie tells foxsports.com.au.

“I’ve never got a chance to see Steve ‘Blocker’ Roach play. I’ve never met the bloke.”

So if it’s not inspired by the original Blocker, where’d he get the name?

“It was a bloke named Mick Taylor back in Under-7s or Under-8s at the Dapto Canaries,” Lawrie says.

“It’s just sort of stuck with me ever since then.

“I’ve had the same age group around me from then to now, so I get called ‘Blocka’ a lot more than I do Blake.”

Lawrie’s just one of a host of St George Illawarra juniors who will line-up for the Dragons in their sudden death semi-final against South Sydney on Saturday night at ANZ Stadium.

And for the 21-year-old prop who has just 14 NRL games to his name, the clash looms as the biggest in his career to date.

But Lawrie has shown he’s up to the task after a bruising upset win over Brisbane where he turned in his best first-grade performance after having to play extra minutes following James Graham’s concussion.

While he churned out 116 run metres off the bench, it wasn’t all smooth sailing for the big bopper who was spear tackled by future Red V teammate Korbin Sims.

“I got a couple of knocks on me. Korbin Sims got me on my first run. My forehead was a little bit sore at the start but I just wanted another carry because I got up-ended,” Lawrie says.

“I just wanted another carry to show (the Broncos) it wasn’t going to be like that all game.

“Matt Lodge was after me a little bit but it’s all footy, you cop that at the end of the day.

“(Lodge) tried to come after me and spark his team, but that’s what James Graham does for our team. He tries to go after people.

“It was unfortunate he copped a whack on the chin but he’ll be back next week, the big fella.

“You know the kinds of battles James Graham and Sam Burgess have had in the past and I just can’t wait to be out there at some stage with him.”

Lawrie won’t be out there putting a stop to just Sam, but also twins brothers Tom and George, the Pommy powerhouse trio he’s yet to face.

“I’ve never come up against the Burgess brothers before,” he said.

“I’ve played a little bit of footy against Cameron Murray and I played Junior Kangaroos with him last year and I think he’s going to be a future international.

“The Burgess brothers are going to be out there firing this week so hopefully we can match it or get over the top of them.

“I’m keen for the challenge which is what I said to Mary last week.”

It’s been evident the impact Graham has had on the Dragons this season and it was revealed this week that an emotional captain’s run speech from the veteran prop helped inspire the side to their shock win over the Broncos.

As a fellow front-rower, Lawrie credits Graham, along with the other senior forwards, for helping him develop as a player this season.

“Jammer’s been a massive influence to all of us young forwards coming through,” Lawrie says.

“A lot of the older forwards have a lot of experience under their belt and they help me develop my game. They’ve got a lot of knowledge about the game and it’s not all about your carries and defence, it’s also about how you use your energy and being smart.

“Even Mitch Allgood’s been massive for me in NSW Cup level, I’ve really learned a lot from him this year as well.”

Since Paul Vaughan went down with injury and was subsequently ruled out for the season, Lawrie has been a regular on the interchange.

It’s given him a great shot at locking down a top 17 spot beyond this year.

“We’ve got Korbin Sims coming next year but I want to develop myself into a regular first-grader in the 17 every week,” he says.

“I’ve been in and out of first grade this year so I’ve had to work on my game a fair bit, but I feel as though I’m improving every week.”