CLYDESDALES FACE DATE WITH DESTINY
The Western Clydesdales BMD Premiership team faces a date with destiny on Saturday afternoon as they have the chance to secure a historic finals berth in their inaugural season.
Currently sitting in third place, the Clydesdales can seal a spot in finals with a win over the Souths Logan Magpies and coach Mitch Sargent was as proud of his side as ever as they are within touching distance of making history.
“(I am) absolutely tremendously proud,” he said.
“From the get-go, the first day that we had the girls in the room and we finally came together as a team, I knew we had something really special.
“From the outset we wanted to create an everlasting legacy for our region and especially inspire young female rugby league players to have an opportunity and I really think we have done that.
“It is a credit to the team and everyone involved behind the scenes in what we have done as a group and as a team, we don’t want it to end this week.”
Since forming as a start-up team at the end of last year, there has been countless hours gone into preparation to get the side to where it is today and Sargent said a finals berth would be the cherry on top.
From the outset we wanted to create an everlasting legacy for our region and especially inspire young female rugby league players to have an opportunity and I really think we have done that
Mitch Sargent Pictured left
“Not many people would see how hard the girls have worked behind the scenes and we’ve had some really key signings along the way that’s helped our performances and leadership off the field,” he said.
“But every single individual in our team has worked their absolute best and their hardest to give us the best chance and that’s what has put us in great stead is all the hard work and the attitude of these girls so they thoroughly deserve to make finals.”
However, the task will not be easy, as they face a Souths Logan side which has surged in the second half of the season.
“We’re expecting the unexpected and I know they will go out to give everything they have as well,” Sargent said.
“Their finals spot’s on the line and it has been a tremendous BMD competition in 2024, no matter where you are sitting on the ladder, every team is playing extremely well.
“The standard of it has been tremendous so we are expecting nothing short of their best performance on the weekend and it has been a real credit to Souths Logan and Kimi (Kimiora Breayley-Nati) their coach and their leadership group.
“Where they started their season to how they have finished it, it has been a special thing for them as well.”
With teams as low as eight and ninth still in with a mathematical chance of making finals, this has been one of the most evenly contested BMD premiership seasons in its history.
“You don’t know no matter who you are playing or where they are sitting on the ladder, if you don’t perform to your ability you’ll get beaten on the day,” Sargent said. “That has happened throughout the whole competition, there has been upsets every single week.
“So we need to make sure that we prepare the best we can and make sure that at 4.15 Saturday afternoon, we play the best we can from the first whistle to the last.”
There will be an extra level of intrigue surrounding this clash, with the Clydesdales without their four Origin reps in Kezie Apps, Keeley Davis, Shenae Ciesiolka and Ali Brigginshaw.
“Leading up to our game this weekend we’ve had our four Origin players missing in Ali, Shenae, Kezie and Keeley, they were missing last week so it gave us a good understanding of what team we are without those girls,” Sargent said.
“And the performance we had last week, if we can mirror anywhere near that it will go a good way to winning this game on the weekend.”
With Brigginshaw out, young rising star Taylor Fenton will take the reins as the main playmaker for the Clydesdales.
“Taylor is getting better every single week, for someone to finally play a full season of halfback, she has learned a lot and still got a lot of growth within Taylor,” Sargent said.
“She will do her job leading the team around, she did a good job last week and she’ll be better for the run this week.
“No matter who takes the field, we have got so much confidence and self-belief with us as a coaching staff but also collectively as a group that they will do their job and they’ll do their job as teammates.”