Blackhawks’ self-belief soars
TOWNSVILLE Blackhawks coach Aaron Payne believes a genuine trust among the playing group is driving their charge towards a maiden Queensland Cup premiership.
The Blackhawks are the form team heading into the business end of the season, having won 11 of their past 12 games including last weekend’s 20-12 semi-final against minor premiers the Sunshine Coast Falcons.
It was only Sunshine Coast’s second loss of the season and earned the Blackhawks a week off before they host either Wynnum Manly or Redcliffe in next weekend’s preliminary final.
The Blackhawks had struggled to stay in the contest in their previous 40-18 and 34-10 losses to the Falcons, but Payne felt their defensive resilience was the difference in the semi-final.
He said the Blackhawks had prided themselves on their defence all season, conceding just over 14 points a game, which came back to the team’s trust in one another on the field.
“There’s a real trust among the group that their mates will have their back,” Payne said.
“I guess I can’t make them want to do that as a coach. I can encourage them to do it, but for them to have that belief among the group is so valuable at this time of the year.
“There was just a couple of key things we needed to fix (against the Falcons).
“We just needed to stick to our structures in defence and we did that.
“We didn’t go outside of our structures. We had some experienced blokes that really stood up and led the way, but we had some good performances right across the park.
“I think straight away off the back of that the boys are thinking about our next job, which will be at home (in the preliminary final).”
Payne admitted the break between finals games was unfamiliar territory for him as a first-year Q-cup coach, but he felt the best plan was for the Blackhawks to stick with their winning formula.
“I’ll probably get a bit of advice off a few people. Obviously as a coach I haven’t been in this position before,” Payne said.
“There is quite a few guys with niggling injuries, as expected at this time of year.
“We’ve got our presentation ball on Thursday night, which really works in well with the timing as far as having the week off.
“Obviously we’ve got a few extra sessions and a bit of time to prepare for our next game, but I think the big thing is just trying to stick to our routine and do what’s been working for us.”