Comets after Shield

Southside aiming to finish season on high

STILL reeling from last week’s grand final loss, Southside will look to bounce back when it takes on Townsville Warriors in tonight’s Crad Evans Shield.

The Comets led three times in the grand final and conceded three times before going down in a penalty shootout.

Coach Dion Readman said that would be forgotten when the side steps onto Brolga Park in Townsville tonight.

“We learnt some things from that match but we have to move on quickly,” he said.

“I’m told the pitch down there is like carpet, so that should suit us well.”

Readman said he didn’t know much about his rivals for tonight’s clash, but believed the Warriors would be formidable opponents.

“They are coached by Gareth Edds, who was involved with the FNQ Fury and runs an academy down there, so I assume they will be strong.

“I think we have a good enough side to beat them.”

The man standing in goals for Southside tonight, Antony Hall, knows what it’s like to win a Crad Evans tie.

The Englishman played against Southside in last year’s Crad Evans match for Townsville Brothers., winning 2-1.

Hall said there wasn’t much difference between the FNQ and Townsville competitions.

“I would say they are on par. The Townsville competition is a bit smaller so the talent isn’t split as much,” he said.

Hall said he found his way to Cairns after taking a teaching position in the Far North and landed at Southside due to his friendship with club technical director Chris Collins.

“I’m enjoying it a lot. I’ve retired about 27 times but it has been a lot of fun this season,” the former Brisbane Strikers goalkeeper said. “Losing on Saturday was disappointing for the boys, but I’m still old fashioned and think the bigger prize in football is for finishing on top of the table.

“It would be nice to finish the season with a win in Townsville, though.”