ATW coach excited by Australia Cup challenge
Across The Waves will be taking a journey into the relative unknown this weekend and coach Rick Irvine can’t wait to put his skills to the test against an old Central Queensland rival.
Bundaberg
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Across The Waves will be taking a journey into the relative unknown this weekend and coach Rick Irvine can’t wait to put his skills to the test against an old Central Queensland rival.
The Bundaberg side, unbeaten in 11 league and cup games this season, take on Mackay Lions in round five of the Australia Cup at Martens Oval on Saturday, May 20.
It’s a case of deja vu for Irvine and ATW as they faced the Lions at the same stage of the competition last season before bowing out to the FQPL Whitsundays league outfit.
The Waves have lost a few players from that match, while Irvine said he had no idea what to expect from the opposition and that’s what excited he and his team most about the challenge ahead.
“I have been involved with football in Bundaberg and the Wide Bay for a long time,” Irvine said.
“Season after season we roll into the same opposition all of the time.
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“We will play every other team three times this year and it can be pre-emptive in knowing what you are going to get.
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“The great joy, certainly for us as as players and as coaches, and certainly from a spectator point of view, who knows what the Mackay Lions team looks like?
“I don’t know and I don’t think too many others will either.
“Not knowing what you are going to get is not normal, it’s unusual.
“Will we be good enough? We will find out on Saturday.
“It another level of football and that’s good for our region, there is absolutely no doubt about that.”
ATW have beaten Fraser Flames, Doon Villa and Gladstone team Frenchville on penalties to get to this stage of the Australia Cup.
A win on Saturday night would mean a home fixture against Cairns side Edge Hill in round six of the prestigious national competition.
Win that game and the Waves will face either Gold Coast Knights or Brisbane City and win in that match would mean a place in the last 32 and a possible tie against an A-League side.
Irvine said that while he and his players could dream about making that stage of the competition, he could only focus on the next fixture, but he said he was excited about the journey into the unknown against the Lions.
“I am focusing at the job in hand,” he said.
“It’s really a good time to coach. I can get my players to where I want them to be on a week-to-week basis because we know what the Flames do and how Bingera and Jets play.
“We work on the patterns and what tweaks we need to make are dependent to some extent on our opposition.
“It’s a bit harder when you don’t actually know what you’re about to get from the other team.
“It takes a bit more trust in your own system because all you can do is play the way you want to play then as a coach make the tweaks and adjustments on the fly.
“From my point of view it adds another element, but I must say I’m really looking forward to it.”
The Waves have won seven and drawn one of their eight games to sit on top of the FQPL Wide Bay ladder.
Irvine picked out three players who have impressed him so far this campaign and who could be the difference in Saturday’s game.
Preston Cox
“An 18-year-old lad who wasn’t a permanent fixture in our first team last year.
“He has scored in just about every game he has played in this season and certainly scored some really vital goals in what is a good competition this year.
“There are five teams, Sunbury, UPE, Flames and Bingera, all of whom can beat us on their day, and I think he scored against most of those and that’s what is so pleasing from a young guy who just continues to go from strength to strength.
“We have seen him come through our junior systems and I think he’s one of the premier strikers in the competition at the moment.
“There a few from all the clubs but certainly from our point of view, Preston has been excellent.”
Callum Hillier
“Our captain and holding midfielder I think what he brings to our team is probably more than most people realise.
“Certainly the leader, both with the armband, and in the way in which he helps us move around the field.
“I think he’s had a really good off-season and he’s injury free at the moment and has absolutely made a huge difference to what we do.
“His direction in both football and mentorship, particularly with a lot of young boys, has been tremendous for our club.
Cory Leggett
“Cory was our player of the year for the past two seasons. He’s just great all-round footballer.
“Cory is one of the premier box-to-box midfielders in the competition.
“He just continues to do his thing. He’s good on the ball, good defensively, has good vision, can score goals and is just a quality athlete.”
Across The Waves take on Mackay Lions on Saturday, May 20 at Martens Oval in Bundaberg, with the game kicking off at 7.30pm.
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