Top Blue says anyone can win it
LAUNCESTON destroyer Rulla Kelly-Mansell says any team in the TSL’s top five has the talent to win the premiership and that includes the Blues.
Launceston started last weekend fifth on the ladder but after Kelly-Mansell led the Blues to a 64-point win over Lauderdale with a best-afield performance, they jumped to third.
Kelly-Mansell said the race for the silverware was wide open, despite reigning champion North Launceston sitting three games clear at the top of the ladder four rounds from the finals.
“Any team in the top five can win on their day,” he said.
“If you look at the ladder at the moment, we were in fifth now we’ve gone to third, and it can just happen with one win or one loss, it can change the whole top five.
“We’ve seen that North Launceston can be beaten as well, so it gives the other teams confidence that you can win on your day.”
Kelly-Mansell had a heap of the ball and kicked two goals in Launceston’s 20-goal haul against Lauderdale.
“We don’t really have a main focus up forward — everyone contributes and chips in,” he said.
“Mitch Thorp kicks a bag here and there, but we have a lot of support with Dylan Riley now playing forward, Jack Rushton, Joe Boyce — and Jake Hinds kicked three on the weekend.
“It’s really healthy that we don’t have to rely on one person top kick our goals.”
Downing Lauderdale was a boon to Launceston, especially after the southern Bombers had beaten top-three teams Clarence and Glenorchy heading into Saturday’s contest. “We’ve been playing good footy for the past couple of weeks and to get a win against a quality side and opposition by so much was unreal,” Kelly-Mansell said.