Tigers ready to unleash new beast
AUSSIE RULES: The Toowoomba Tigers will look to a southern influence to take down the might of South Burnett.
Utility Jayden Smith will debut for the black and gold at Rockville Oval today as the Tigers aim to solidify their spot near the top of the ladder.
Coach Scott Hannon said Smith had the versatility to move around the field, and would be a valuable part of the team’s set-up.
“He’ll be right to play and it will be interesting to see how he goes. He comes from a quality league in Victoria and came up here for family and work commitments. We’re fortunate he’s come on board,” Hannon said.
The Tigers come into today’s game in fifth on the ladder following a 112-point victory over Chinchilla a fortnight ago, but Hannon said his troops know they will have to lift to get the result over South Burnett.
“It was a good win for team morale and helped us work more on a few game plans we’ve been trying to work on,” he said.
“It was a good confidence win coming into this week. If we are to beat them we need to stick to game plan and shut down their key players, and we’ll be a fair chance of coming home with the four points.”
Hannon said the week off with the anticipated representative fixture came at a good time for the Tigers, with a number of players able to recover from soft tissue injuries, however having played just one game in the last month would test match fitness.
“It’s a bit hard to deal with the struggle with match fitness, but the boys have been getting to training and their heads are up high. They are enjoying it,” he said.
“We know there is a lot of work to do and there are a lot of good teams we have to come up against to see where we sit.”
Around the grounds in the Allied Pickford’s Cup, Goondiwindi’s Jeremy Leahy will line up for game number 250 when the Hawks host the Warwick Redbacks.
The Hawks have gone down by 19 points in games against USQ and Coolaroo, and will be desperate to pick up the win in their first home game of the season.
In the round’s other fixture, South Toowoomba can move into outright first on the ladder when they host Highfields at Heritage Oval.
There will be just one Westpac Cup fixture for the women, with the unbeaten Toowoomba Tigers playing host to South Burnett.
These sides met a fortnight ago, with the Tigers claiming a convincing win to stay atop the ladder.