Big win over Bulldogs gives team renewed grand final hope Hawks eye title surprise
MOMENTUM: The Hawks’ Matthew Byrnes evades the tackle of the Bulldogs’ Tranter Keyes to get his kick away. UNIVERSITY Hawks coach Zammi Rohan is adamant his team can capitalise on its underdog status and shock Hermit Park in the AFL Townsville Grand Final after booking their spot with a solid win over Thuringowa Bulldogs on Saturday.
The Hawks beat the defending premiers 9.15 ( 69) to 4.4 ( 28), a huge relief for the side after failing to overcome the preliminary final for the last two seasons.
Captain Jarryd Graham and Jed Dunstan led the way from the midfield, while defender Damien Febey was influential in restricting the Bulldogs to just four goals.
Hermit Park and University have lost just two games apiece for the year but the Tigers will be raging favourite to atone for last year’s grand final loss after amassing a percentage of 363 to University’s 210.
That suits Rohan and troops just fine.
“They’ve been in the grand his final for many years. The pressure’s all on them and by the time the game comes around they would have only played one game in four weeks,” he said. “There’s less pressure on us and we’ve got some momentum with a good win on the weekend.
“We’ve just got to play at a really high intensity and just maintain that the whole game. They ( Tigers) are a very strong, fast and fit team.
“Our attack in the contest and tackling pressure is the key.
“It’s great to get past that ( preliminary final) point; we haven’t managed to for a number of years.”
Rohan said the Bulldogs gave his team a tough hitout and they needed to prepare for Saturday’s decider at Tony Ireland Stadium, starting 3.30pm.
“They actually played really well, especially early in the game,” he said.
“We couldn’t shake them for quite a while but stuck to our game plan, and managed to break away.”