WHEN St Pat's coach Zac Merritt sat down with his squad before they commenced their pre-season training regime, he spoke to them about his desire to win the Bathurst Panthers Firetection Knockout.
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Come Friday night, the Saints will get their chance to do just that.
It has been five years since the Saints last won the annual pre-season tournament at Carrington Park - the 2015 outfit downing Lithgow Workies 14-0 in the decider.
Having taken over as the new captain-coach of the Group 10 premier league outfit this season, Merritt would love to start his tenure with early success.
"When I spoke to everyone that we signed and the boys that have previously been at the club, we tipped the knockout as something where we really wanted to turn up and give a good crack," Merritt, who will both coach and line up in the front row, said.
"Not putting too much pressure on, if it doesn't pay off then we just build on into our season, but we want to give it a good crack. We've circled that we want to give it a good shake up."
While some of Merritt's squad went to the Wollongong Nines, he described that as more of a social trip. He sees the knockout as the Saints' "first real hit out for the whole team".
He and assistant coach Mick Armstrong have named a 17-man squad for the knockout, and expects the hard work they have done on fitness thus far to be evident.
It is work that Merritt hopes will not just serve them well this weekend, but when they kick-off their Group 10 title bid and as the season-proper unfolds.
"We've really rewarded the blokes that have been training and ripping in from day one. The whole squad, I don't think one person has missed any sessions so they're all fit and ready to go," he said.
"Pretty much the whole pre-season we've just been building our fitness, we haven't done too much with the ball, I've just been working on our fitness so we can handle getting into the season and the back end of the season, to make us more consistent.
"The boys all know how to play football, there's no doubt about that, but these trials give us a chance to look at a few blokes and what we need to work on. We are not really priming at the moment."
If the Saints are to end their five-year drought in the tournament, it will mean they must first overcome defending knockout champions Mudgee on Friday night.
The Dragons beat Hawks 18-10 in last year's knockout decider, while in the season proper they finished as runners-up to Bathurst Panthers.
It means Merritt expects a tough contest, but it's one he is eagerly anticipating.
"I wouldn't want to have it any other way really, you turn up and get to see where you are at straight away. We're not putting ourselves up on a pedestal yet, we've got a lot to work on," he said.
"There's no pressure on our behalf, if anything Mudgee's got the pressure on to really turn up and try and knock us off.
"As I said we want to try and win it, but if we don't it's no real drama, it's a trial at the end of the day."
Pat's meet Mudgee at 8.30pm Friday and should they win, will advance to the semi-final at 1.55pm Saturday where they'll meet either Panthers or Orange CYMS.
