RUGBY LEAGUE
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A GRAND final rematch is always a much anticipated affair, but when defending champions St Pat’s meet 2014 runners-up Cowra in Group 10 premier league action tomorrow at the Sportsground, both will be trying to turn around a mediocre start to the new season.
While last year’s grand final teams are by no means struggling, they are sitting mid-table on two wins apiece heading into the sixth round.
They are also heading into tomorrow’s match on the back of two consecutive losses.
Naturally the Saints are keen to avoid an extension to that losing streak and to do that, they know they need a solid 80-minute performance.
Over the past fortnight they have certainly made a contest of both their matches before failing late in the piece against Blayney and Lithgow.
Part of that has to do with injuries and unavailabilities and tomorrow the Saints will again field a less than full strength starting 13.
In last weekend’s defeat – the Bears kicking a late field goal to win – talented Pat’s playmaker Tim Holman sustained a foot injury. He could be out for up to six weeks.
The Saints will have Luke Newsome back in their forward pack, the prop returning from suspension, but coach Kurt Hancock knows his men will still face a significant challenge from the Magpies.
“Cowra are a very handy football side. There’s guys like Warren Williams, Ronnie Lawrence and Toby Nobes and they can hurt you,” he said.
“Cowra are in a similar boat to us. They’re still trying to find some consistency and we’re expecting them to be desperate.
“It’s another good test for our young guys, something that showed last week. If they’d already had a season under them I think we would have won that game.
“Last week was probably one of the worst games we’ve played since I’ve been here and we still nearly got there. There were guys who were just trying to do too much individually and not use the guys on either side [of them].”
From the starting line-up the Saints fielded in last year’s grand final, only four men will take to the Sportsground tomorrow – centres Dave Howard and Mick Armstrong, five-eighth Garry Reilly and hooker Benjamin John.
Cowra are in a similar position with five members of their grand final line-up expected to take on the Saints. While they have also lost forward Brendan Tidswell for up to a month with a back injury, former Bulldogs NRL player Fred Briggs is set to start in the Magpies’ front row tomorrow.
A lack of consistency in his starting 13 has made things difficult for Hancock, yet he sees the potential for the players he has available to lift their game.
“We haven’t fielded a similar side from round one. That’s the cards that we’ve been dealt. Again we’ve got to make sure that we’ve got the basics right. I really want our forwards to shape up this week,” he said.
“Since those injuries the attitude in the team has changed. Training at Tuesday was about getting that belief back and making sure that we’re working for each other.”
Tim Collins has landed the fullback job in the absence of Holman, while Jarrod Tyack is set to make his premier league debut on the wing.
Matt Tilley impressed Hancock from the bench last Sunday and has been promoted to the starting halfback against the Magpies.
Tomorrow’s premier league match will kick-off at 2pm at the Sportsground.
ST PAT’S: 1 Tim Collins, 2 Jarrod Tyack, 3 Mick Armstrong, 4 Dave Howard, 5 Curtis Boardman, 6 Garry Reilly, 7 Matt Tilley, 8 Luke Newsome, 9 Benjamin John, 10 Jack Mackey, 11 Brady Cheshire, 12 Corey Averio, 13 Derryn Clayton, 14 Hudson White, 15 Jacob Bell.