RUGBY LEAGUE
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IF ever a team, and in particular a forward pack, could grow the proverbial extra leg as a result of one victory in a game of rugby league, it is St Pat’s after their stunning comeback against Oberon in Group 10 premier league last Sunday.
The Saints came from 24-4 down at half-time to pinch a brilliant win against a previously undefeated side and will take that confidence into another blockbuster against Orange CYMS at Wade Park tomorrow.
Once more it will be the men in the centre of the field that could well decide the outcome, and for St Pat’s that means plenty of pressure on young bookend Brady Cheshire.
He was one of the standouts in his side’s second half revival against Oberon.
Though Oberon were without talismanic ex-NRL star George Rose, they still boasted a formidable pack through the likes of Riccie Arriola, Trent Rose, Blake Fitzpatrick, Luke Christie-Johnston and Zac Rowlandson.
The Saints absorbed everything they could throw at them to keep them scoreless in the second half.
Now they need to do it for 80 minutes against the Orange outfit led by captain-coach Mick Sullivan.
CYMS’ pack includes the likes of Western Division representatives Simon Osborne and Mitch Davis.
“Oberon are an awesome side, they are well coached and very tough, so to get that win last weekend, especially from where we were on the scoreboard, just did wonders for us,” Cheshire said.
“The talk at half-time, even though we were down, was still very positive. Kurt [Hancock, St Pat’s coach] was calm and just put it back on us to do what we needed to do as a player group.
“We got a lot of confidence out of that win.
“But CYMS are a big team too, with a lot of experience in their forward pack and it will be a very hard, physical battle. If we play like we did in the second half against Oberon though, I think we will take them.”
Cheshire forged his reputation as a running forward on the fringes of the field, but has been used by Hancock for his hard charges in the middle third this season.
Though he is not exactly small, Cheshire and his fellow Saints forwards are not among the bigger packs in the competition. They have more than compensated for it with their attitude and effort.
“I think at times in a few of the games we’ve lost, we’ve lacked a bit of confidence in the centre of the field. But we’ve had some good training sessions and what we did last weekend was great for boosting that confidence level,” he said.
“For myself personally, I think coaching the under 18s side has had a bit of an impact. It’s made for a heavy workload at times, so maybe I’ve been a bit hot and cold with my form, but I felt like I played okay last weekend.
“With the structure that Hank [Hancock] has us playing in the centre, I’ve been a lot closer to the ruck than what I used to play, but I’ve quite enjoyed it.”
Kick off at Wade Park is 2pm tomorrow.
ST PAT’S: 1 Antonio Ale, 2 Nathan Lawrence, 3 Cyp Ale, 4 Tyson Medlyn, 5 Adam Morton, 6 Garry Reilly, 7 Shannon Peters, 8 Daniel Bain, 9 Benjamin John, 10 Brady Cheshire, 11 Travis Waninara, 12 Chris De Young, 13 Andy Adams, 14 Mitch Squires, 15 Jack Mackey, 16 Curtis Boardman, 17 Andrew Bain