Waples boost for Fury
NORTHERN Fury captain Corey Waples has timed his return from injury to perfection.
The inspirational skipper will line up for the Fury in tonight’s Queensland NPL game against the Moreton Bay Jets at Townsville Sports Reserve, a month after suffering a serious knee injury.
Waples is back but other experienced heads are out, including Reid Murray ( suspension), Jae Eurrell ( unavailable) and Brendon Gadd ( work).
Key defender Darren Walker is also in doubt with a troublesome ankle and will be given until today to prove his fitness, and young talents Ben Horrocks and Jarrod Green have been handed starting berths.
Fury under- 20s player Liam Bolton is also expected to get a run tonight.
Fury coach Paul Roncato remains confident the Fury can score a crucial win against the Jets following last weekend’s washed out game.
“I believe that even if we go without Darren ( Walker) we have enough experienced heads in the side to guide the younger guys around,” Roncato said.
“I really think we can get across the line.
“The Jets are an attacking side that can score a lot of goals, so we’ll work hard on our defence and try and hit them on the counter- attack.”
The Fury sit seventh on the NPL ladder and their most recent match resulted in a hardearned 1- 1 away draw with Brisbane Olympic.
It was one of the Fury’s most courageous performances and came after consecutive losses to Brisbane Strikers ( 7- 1) and Gold Coast City ( 2- 0).
“I was told after the Olympic game that when it was 11 men on 11 we were really competitive,” Roncato said, who takes back the coaching reins after spending two weeks overseas for work.
“And when we went down a player we still showed plenty of determination, so I think the players can really take a lot from that game.
“The last few weeks have been disappointing with the cancellation of the Roar Youth game and then last weekend, because match fitness is so important.
“Then again it was a good opportunity for a couple of our injured guys to get some rest.”
Moreton Bay drew their last game 1- 1 with Gold Coast and before that enjoyed a twogame winning run featuring big results over SWQ Thunder ( 4- 0) and Sunshine Coast ( 7- 0).
Tonight’s game will be the Fury’s last in Townsville for two months, with their next home fixtures being played in Ayr and then Mackay.
“We spoke about playing at home and wanting to make it a difficult place for visiting teams, so we want to make the most of it,” Roncato said.
Tonight’s game kicks off at 7pm.