Rusch return may hone goal scoring

EVEN Stratford coach Doug Baird is having a laugh at his side’s inability to hit the back of the net with enough regularity to win games of football.

No matter how hard they try, the defending grand final winners just have not had the luck that seemed to fall their way with every touch last season, although the return of equal leading goalscorer Joe Rusch should help the Dolphins at home against Innisfail United in an elimination final tomorrow.

Baird said while Rusch was “scoring for fun” last year, the change of players meant he couldn’t expect the same of him in 2017.

“We need to put it in the back of the net. I don’t care who does it,” he said.

“If you’re not scoring goals, you’re going to put too much pressure on your defence.”

Stratford have actually scored the third-most goals this season but have been held to eight draws, including last week against Innisfail United.

“We’ve been practising taking penalties, because we’ll end up with a draw,” Baird said.

“I can’t believe how many draws we’ve had.

“But we could just go out there on Sunday and it could all just click. “That’s what I’m hoping.” He said Innisfail would be buoyed by simply making the finals and he expected his side would be pushed even beyond the 90 minutes before knowing the game was safe.

“Innisfail work very hard,” Baird said. “They’ve got probably the best striker in the league in Joshua Taylor. His movement is terrific.

“They’ve got Darcy McCormack too with the big game experience and he caught us out last week.”

Stratford will miss Michael Van Hooren for the match and the rest of the season after he was rubbed out for six games.

On top of a mandatory oneweek ban for a red card last week, he was given two additional weeks due to it being his second of the season and an extra three weeks for his conduct departing and once off the pitch.

Southside Comets play Marlin Coast tonight for the right to play in the grand final in two weeks.

The loser will take on either Stratford or Innisfail.

WE’VE PRACTISING TAKING PENALTIES, BECAUSE WE’LL END UP WITH A DRAW. I CAN’T BELIEVE HOW MANY DRAWS WE’VE HAD DOUG BAIRD, STRATFORD COACH