Despite boasting an almost identical side to the one which claimed last year’s Blowes Clothing Cup title, Orange Emus coach Paul Ringland knows the greens will face a battle for consistency and cohesion in Saturday’s opening round.
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Emus have lost barnstorming flankers Andrew Cosgrove and Mitch Lockley, rock-solid centre Zac White and bustling utility Todd Freedman and with a tweak to their style of play this year as well, Ringland isn’t looking for perfection against the Dubbo Rhinos.
He just wants the side to do enough, under its new structure, to win and hit the ground running in its bid for a third straight premiership.
“We’ve had some big outs that leave big holes to fill. We are lucky enough to have a lot of depth in a lot of positions and that helps a lot, but with a new way of playing we probably will lack a bit of cohesion,” Ringland said.
“That’s where we’ll look to our leaders to stand up, keep a cool head and make sure we don’t let that get the better of us.”
One of those leaders is obviously mercurial skipper Nigel Staniforth who, after years of wearing No.13, will start the 2017 season at fullback.
Last year’s No.15 AJ Sykes, who won the greens’ player of the year crown, is unavailable but it’s unclear whether he’ll slot back into the custodian role when he returns or not.
“Nige hasn’t played fullback for a while, but he’s versatile and knows what he needs to do there,” Ringland said.
“We’ve had a bit of a reshuffle in terms of our backline and where a few guys would regularly play, but we think we can get the best out of Nigel at the back.”
The greens welcome back flanker Bill Travers after a season off with shoulder complaints while effervescent outside back Levi Russell slots in on the wing. A former Emus star, he returns to the club after a stint dominating in the Northern Territory.
Ringland said Rhinos present a sense of unknown in round one.
“We’re not sure what to expect outside a tough game of rugby. Last year, despite results, we came away from our Rhinos games pretty battered and bruised, we’re expecting more of that especially in round one at Dubbo,” he said.
Emus face Rhinos at Dubbo’s No.1 Oval, rather than Caltex Park, from 3.15pm.