TIGERS HAVE KEYS TO UNLOCK GLORY
CENTRALS will be missing their inspirational leader in the middle of the field, but the man taking his place has declared they’re coming for a premiership. With Clancy Kersh sidelined for the biggest game of the year with a broken foot, co-captain Scott Evans has taken the reins. While they will be the obvious underdogs against a Brothers side that has not been beaten this season, Evans is adamant his side can get the job done.
“They are definitely a beatable team. We have got the game plan and we are going in with confidence we can win the game,” he said.
The Tigers have a fearless youth brigade on their side, and after taking down a depleted Herbert River in the preliminary final, they are determined to knock off another local league giant.
Evans admitted there was a buzz and excitement around their Tigers training fields this week, with their young troops ready to aim up.
“That was a building game for us,” Evans said. “We needed to tick that box and now the grand final is on, we have a job to do and we are going to go get it.
“I don’t think we (have peaked yet). We spoke about it as a club. We didn’t perform at the start of the year,
we had errors in our game and we turned that around.
“The (young blokes) are buzzing. They are fresh, young and hungry. A couple of them haven’t played in a grand final before and they are just rip roaring, ready to go.”
The overexcitement of their young brigade could be more beneficial than Centrals realise. If they stop to take stock of the sheer mountain in front of them, it could become almost insurmountable.
Brothers have been the standard bearers of the Townsville District Rugby League this season.
The Brethren have not dropped a game all season and average more than 45 points a game and only concede 10.9 at the other end.
It is an incredible record that still falls short of coach Roy Baira’s lofty standards. While they might have conceded less than two converted tries a game this season, the coach wants that to be less.
It is Baira’s meticulous approach to the side’s preparation that captain Ty Carucci believes will be crucial to them walking away with a secondstraight TDRL A Grade title.
“I think for us it is pretty much just business as usual,” he said. “Being the undefeated team, everyone is going to be watching us. I think we just keep it a normal week, and keep the same sort of mindset on the weekend.
“There is a bit more excitement and energy there, but as far as the game I think we can treat it the same. Roy will get us ready the same as any other week, and he will talk about what it means to Brothers like he always does.
“Centrals have a lot of young players that bring a lot of energy, and they have done that every weekend.
“We saw that (last) weekend with how good they started. We just have to match them early and go from there. (It’s about) completing our sets, doing what we normally do. Just get to our kicks.”
As for the one man he hopes can spark the Brothers’ ascension, Carucci wasn’t straying too far from what has been the norm there either.
“I am looking for John Cullen. (He is) one of the in-form backs in the competition. We are looking forward to him doing as much as he can in the game,” Carucci said.