Group 19’s under 23 team will be aiming to secure back-to-back Greater Northern titles when they play in the regional championships in Scone this Saturday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The under 23 representative format made its debut in 2017 with the Group 19 team taking out the inaugural Greater Northern title over Group 4 and 21, and, with a speedy side named for this year, are hoping they can repeat their success.
“We have a really young side this year,” coach Peter Moran said.
“We are not a big side either but what we do miss in size we make up for in speed.
“If we can get in, complete our sets and treasure the ball, I think we will go alright.”
Moran believes the hosts are the team to beat.
“Group 21, they are the side I think are going to be the danger,” he said.
“Being on their home turf as well, they have something to prove this year because we knocked them off last year.
“Group 19 only just beat them last year and they were a well-drilled side, a big side too.
“I think if we can contain their forwards, our speed out wide will be the difference.
“We spoke about it [Wednesday] night, about just getting numbers in the tackles and dominating the ruck, slowing them down to our speed and playing them on the fringes, not up the middle.
“We have a good side, we just have to get the players mentally to turn up.”
In the league tag, last year’s Uralla Tigers coach Paul Martin is at the helm.
The Tigers finished as runners-up in Group 4’s second division last year and are two wins from their opening two matches in Group 19 this year.
Four players from the current Tigers squad, as well as Armidale Rams’ captain Kate McCulloch, make up the local contingent of the Group 19 team.
Group 4 have a stronghold on the league tag title and will be tough to overthrow but Martin hopes his team will be competitive.
“There's some good girls, a few experienced ones and some younger ones so I am expecting them to go pretty well,” he said.
“I am expecting us to go fairly well, just go out there and compete with them as long as we can. “And that's all I ask of them.”