Barely halfway through the season and the stakes couldn't be higher for the Cutters and Tigers. It could go either way for both sides as they teeter outside the top four. Win, and they mount a serious case as a finals side, or lose and drift further off the pace. Souths Cutters are sensing an opportunity rather than a threat though, because a win could propel them ahead of Centrals Trinity into fourth spot.
"It’s probably the most important game of the year for us," Souths’ coach Chris Adams
said. "The time has come when we need to win games or it’s all over and with two very evenly-matched teams it’s going to come down to which team plays the hardest for each other. ‘‘We’ve got to prove ourselves worthy."
Making the task easier for Souths will be the absence of inspirational Tigers’ captain Brendan Tennick, who is nursing a broken chin bone and potentially several broken teeth after colliding with an errant elbow last weekend.
"He leads the way for us and we’re a young side so we need as many leaders as we can get," Tigers’ coach Kane Richter said, acknowledging the impact of Tennick’s injury on the squad. "It just means a few other blokes need to step up with him gone though."
The bruised and battered skipper will be on the sidelines, along with what is expected to be a huge crowd.
“It’s a big day for the club (with an old boys and Ladies in Sport event organised) and hopefully they really turn up and give us that edge," Richter said.
The Tigers still boast sensational speed and skill down their flanks, something Souths hope to counter with some youth of their own.
Read more at http://www.cairns.com.au/article/2011/06/24/171035_local-sport-news.html
Courtesy of The Cairns Post.
Last Modified on 24/06/2011 10:05