Roos can bounce back ... just like Lauderdale

CLARENCE might be staring at a 0-3 start to 2019, but it only has to look at today’s opponent to know a sluggish start is not all doom and gloom.

After a Round 1 bye the Roos bounced into the State League season with back-to-back losses against premier North Launceston and Glenorchy, and today meet the beaten grand finalists from the past two years in Lauderdale. The Bombers, who have opened their campaign with three straight wins, recovered from slow starts the past two years to shake up the finals, becoming the first team from outside the top three to reach the decider last year.

It is a blueprint Clarence coach Jeromey Webberley would rather avoid with a win this afternoon at Blundstone Arena, but there is no thought of panic despite the side still being stuck in first gear. “The first month, six weeks isn’t going to define our season, but we need to make sure we are learning how each other plays,” Webberley said of his group, which has seen a big turnover in the past six months.

“I’m sure we will be a lot better team in rounds 17, 18, 19 and 20 and hopefully into the finals series. Lauderdale is a prime example, they were 0-3 last year and they made the grand final. The reality is as long as you make it into the five, you can do damage, you win three games you are in the grand final.

“It looks an absolute mile off for us but it’s never as bad as it seems and never as good as it seems. At the moment we might be looking at where our next win is coming from but if the blokes keep working, we keep investing in our young guys, eventually it will turn.”