Desperate to remain unbeaten

AFL THE Port Douglas Crocs’ immaculate record means little to coach Brad Cooper if they can’t win this Saturday.

The season all comes down to their grand final match-up against the Manunda Hawks at 3pm at Cazalys Stadium.

Everything is in place, Cooper says, but it’s a matter of whether the team turns up on the day and produces the goods right from the opening siren.

“Things are going along OK at this point,” he said.

“We just have to make sure we turn up fit and healthy on Saturday and in the right frame of mind, which we’ll do.”

For Cooper and most of his players, the prelude to the big match has been different this time – they’ve had a week off, with a bye last weekend.

“I am aware that a team at this level with a week off can sometimes go a bit dormant, but we’ve marked that down and we’ve got some training things in place to make sure that’s not the case,” Cooper said.

“I think we’ve got a really mature group and they understand that we need to do certain things at training to make sure we turn up in the right frame of mind.

“A lot of these guys have been there before and they know what to do.

“From the time you’re a junior, a coach will tell you it’s 80 per cent upstairs.

“We’ve certainly done the training to make the most of that and we’re confident we’ll give a really good account of ourselves.

“Not a lot changes from round one to the grand final in terms of what’s required and how to get a win – there’s just a fair bit more at stake.”

Regarding opposition teams, Cooper said he had learned to expect the unexpected.

“We’ve had teams who have changed their whole structures around to play us, so we’re prepared for whatever comes our way,” he said.

“We’ll have a plan A, B, C and D.”

The Crocs are aware of the wayward September wind at Cazalys Stadium, with a strong breeze often throwing teams off.

Cooper said the team planned to play to the conditions.