Vikings fighting fit for business end of season

INNISFAIL Vikings will head up the coast today to Yorkeys Knob to take on the Northern Beaches Mudcrabs at home.

As the end of the season draws closer, the heat is on to keep their second-place spot, with JCU Mariners just one point behind in FNQ Rugby reserve grade.

“It’s getting to the business end of the season so it’s getting very competitive,” president Kev Burgess said.

“You don’t know what’s going to happen on the day, so we have to make sure we’ve trained hard and are prepared for anything on the field.

“The atmosphere is positive – they’ve been positive all season but now they can see re- sults, which boosts them a bit more.”

They have been training hard to correct the errors that cost them earlier in the season.

“Even the players are seeing where things need to be improved on the field, so now we are mainly working on finetuning our game plan,” Burgess said. “The defence is very strong, and has been strong from the start.”

The team looks to be in fighting shape for today’s battle and while a finals spot is within their grasp, they are not getting too cocky just yet.

“The teams in the competition are good-quality teams and they have been playing for years, so they have the experi- ence on the field,” Burgess said.

“I think if we achieve that for a few more games we’ll be more confident.

“The boys have come a long way – they’ve done really well to get this far.”

Vikings supporter Jayla Dalton echoed the sentiment, after watching the team evolve over the past seven years.

“They’re doing really well. They’ve had their ups and downs but they’ve come a long way,” she said. “I can definitely see them in the finals.”

This match is the first of three back-to-back matches against the Mudcrabs.

The Vikings will play Mudcrabs at Rugby Park, Yorkeys Knob from 2.30pm today.