Woolf knows last game won’t have big impact on season

THE Townsville Blackhawks will take a cautious approach with injured lock Daniel Beasley this weekend as they prepare for their last game of the regular Queensland Cup season on the Sunshine Coast.

Beasley strained his groin during the warm- up before Townsville’s home loss to the PNG Hunters a fortnight ago, but last weekend’s bye has given him every chance to prove his fitness.

The sixth- placed Black- hawks are already assured of a place in the Queensland Cup finals and they’ll face the Falcons on Sunday afternoon knowing a win is unlikely to improve their ladder position.

Beasley’s return would be a huge boost for the Blackhawks, but coach Kristian Woolf insisted he won’t play the hard- fitting forward against the Falcons if he’s still carrying a niggle.

“Dan Beasley will be some chance of playing, but he’s certainly no guarantee at this stage,” Woolf said.

“We’re not going to take a risk with him in a game that doesn’t have a massive impact on the season, so to speak.

“It will just be a case of wait and see how he is at end of week. If he’s 100 per cent then he’ll play, but if he’s only 80 or 90 then there’s no reason to risk him.”

The week off has been well timed for the Blackhawks as they rest a few minor niggles, but they desperately need to start building some momentum after losing three of their past four games.

The Falcons are also in a bit of a slump ahead of the fi- nals, having slipped to fourth on the ladder following consecutive losses to Mackay ( 30- 26) and Norths ( 18- 10).

Woolf expected both sides to play with a finals- like intensity and the coach challenged his players to show what they are capable of at their best.

“It’s important that we go down there and play some good footy,” Woolf said.

“Like everyone else, we want to go into finals with a win and some confidence under our belts and that’s exactly what the Falcons will be trying to do. I expect it to be a really high quality game of footy. We’re both starting to prepare for finals and that’s when you want to be trying some things and playing with some quality.

“The biggest challenge for us is having 17 blokes playing at their best and making the big plays when they’re needed. We’ve struggled this year to get everyone firing at the same time.

“If we’re a little bit better in patches and play like that during the finals then we’re going to be very hard to beat.”