Blackhawks’ tough test

TOWNSVILLE Blackhawks captain Shaun Nona insists his side has the belief they can knock the Sunshine Coast Falcons off their perch in tomorrow’s Queensland Cup showdown in Kawana.

The Falcons have been the benchmark with just one loss from 20 games and that sole blemish was without a third of their regular talent in a dour 14-10 clash with Redcliffe.

The competition leaders proved too strong for the fourth-placed Blackhawks at Jack Manski Oval earlier this season, running in three tries in the last 20 minutes for a 34-10 victory.

It was a disappointing end to a big occasion for Nona, who was playing his 100th game in the Q-cup, and the Blackhawks playmaker said they were eager to show they could match it with the Falcons.

“It was a big occasion at the time. It was my 100th game and we didn’t really show up,” Nona said.

“We didn’t play our best and I think we just went away from our game plan. That was probably the most disappointing thing coming out of that game, just falling away from our defensive structures.

“That was a very long time ago now. We’ve been on a good roll since then and we’ve definitely improved as a team so we’re very excited for this weekend.”

Nona felt the Blackhawks were too focused on the Falcons in their last encounter and he urged his teammates to keep backing their ability as they chase a club-record ninth win in a row.

“We’ve definitely a lot of belief and confidence and I think it’s been showing in our games,” he said.

“We didn’t play too good on the weekend against the Capras but we were still able to do a job and come away with the victory (32-6).

“We only finished the game with 15 boys on the weekend so it just goes to show how much we are working and playing for each other.

“I think if we just focus on ourselves, prepare well, and do what we’ve been doing the last couple of weeks we’ll be right in the grind of the game.”

Nona almost joined the Blackhawks in 2016 before securing an opportunity with the Dragons, but he has more than made up for lost time this season. The Tully product started the year on the bench before a hamstring injury sidelined him for five games, but he has since locked down the role as both Townsville’s chief playmaker and captain.

Nona has 15 try assists, 12 line break assists, and 11 forced dropouts from his 14 games.

Nona’s goalkicking has been a particular highlight for the Blackhawks this season, nailing a perfect 14/14 since returning from injury.

I THINK IF WE JUST FOCUS ON OURSELVES, PREPARE WELL … WE’LL BE RIGHT IN THE GRIND OF THE GAME SHAUN NONA