Change in mentality key for side

MENTALITY is key.

That has been the message from Warriors Junior Premier League coach Jason Smart as his side attempted to overcome a month without football in the Crad Evans Shield decider.

It is a Warriors side that has rarely been tested this season.

But Smart knows they won’t have it anywhere near as easy in the season’s final campaign.

“We are the underdogs,” Smart said. “It is definitely a change for them because all this year they were undefeated and they were never really overwhelmed. This is a change in mindset and a mental preparation, it is a different preparation and a different game.

“We need to prepare ourselves mentally and physically. We have drilled the basics in communication and ball speed, connecting passes and movement off the ball. But we need to continue that through the 80 minutes.”

Warriors have not stopped training over the past month despite winning their grand final 3-2 over Brothers back on September 11.

To make sure game rust would not be a factor, Smart booked training matches for his troops against the club’s senior sides including the Youth and Men’s Second Division.

While his players might have been outmuscled and outplayed by their older opposition, there was one aspect they wouldn’t be outgunned in: enthusiasm.

That was a tangible fact Smart wanted his players to hold on to.

“When they were first facing up to them they were saying look how big they are, they were physically intimidated,” he said. “But once they started playing, they just had their focus on doing the best they could.

“That is very important for the Crad Evans.”