ORANGE Hawks’ injured captain-coach Brock McGarity says criticism of his side’s mettle following last weekend’s disaster hurt, adding it’s easy for those outside of the two blues’ inner sanctum to say the players in the club’s premier league side have stopped trying.
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He wants to make it clear, though, that simply isn’t the case.
Despite a 40-nil mauling at the hands of Lithgow last week - a game that was remarkably called off a half-time at Hawks’ request - McGarity has assured the two blues’ faithful of a whole-hearted performance when Hawks clash with defending premiers Bathurst St Pat’s today at Wade Park.
Grappling with an injury toll the likes of which McGarity has never seen, Hawks will welcome back a handful of key players for the St Pat's clash, namely a front-row pairing of Mitch Davis and Sam Coyte.
For McGarity, it’s a welcome boost after what has been a tough week for the club.
“It is what it is,” McGarity said, referring to the injury crisis.
“There’s nothing we can do about it. I’ve never seen anything like this, injury-wise, at the moment.
“All we can do is go out there this weekend and continue to play for each other, like we've done every week this year.”
McGarity himself has been ruled out for the season with the ankle injury he’s been plagued with all year, finally quashing any shot the classy pivot had of returning to the field.
Off the injury list this week, however, are Kurt McNamara and Lawrence Fogg, further strengthening Hawks’ pack.
VIDEO: Nick McGrath and Matt Findlay preview this weekend's games:
It’ll still be a weakened outfit come 2pm today, however, and whether or not the club’s champion under-18 players and/or the Hawks’ competitive first division players back up and run on for premier league against the in-form St Pat's outfit, McGarity says that’s up to them.
And, if there's a side that knows the plight of Hawks right now, it's St Pat's.
The defending premiers went through a similar run of outs injury-wise at the start of the season, but since the halfway point of the year have slowly regrouped to the point they are now shaping as a serious premiership threat.
That doesn't make Hawks’ task today any easier.
“I think they’ve slowly got most of their senior guys back,” McGarity said.
“If that's the case, we'll have to be strong in the middle because Benjamin John, he's been killing teams out of dummy half this year.
“It’s going to be tough, we’re still down a few this weekend and St Pat’s should be at full strength.
“We’ll be out there, though, playing for each other.”
Kick-off for today’s premier league fixture is at 2pm.
