Casuarina Cougars in face-off against Darwin Dragons in the Darwin rugby preliminary final
CASUARINA Cougars are fired up for more finals rugby but won’t be taking forwards-oriented Darwin Dragons lightly when the sides meet in the Darwin A-grade Rugby Union preliminary final.
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CASUARINA Cougars are fired up for more finals rugby but won’t be taking forwards-oriented Darwin Dragons lightly when the sides meet in the Darwin A-grade Rugby Union preliminary final.
Last week, Casuarina fell 27-22 to minor premiers South Darwin, denying the side direct passage into the grand final. However, despite disappointment in the loss, coach Joe Albert felt it allowed his side to learn an important lesson and shake off any complacency.
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“It was a tough game where we had our opportunities but didn’t quite finish them off when we could have,” Albert told the NT News.
“It was a tough game up front and out wide, but was a tight game as recent games have been against Souths.
“We went full circle in the last round winning against every side, and maybe complacency set in a little bit but the boys have learned their lesson.”
Dragons showed their forward power and strength in defence when they knocked University Pirates out of the competition in the minor semi-final.
And it’s that same passion that they will seek again in the preliminary final with Nigel Mahar directing the play, while Hirini Murfitt and Drew Tobin will lead from the front.
But the Cougars will be eager to prove that their forwards are no pushovers, with big props Eric Erickson and Dylan Rutherford ready for the challenge in the set piece.
Organising the front five will be lock Matthew Travers, while captain Zach Phillips will be directing the play from fly-half. Casuarina has plenty of options out wide with Simaika Salaa in fine form, while Aidan Singleton has showed finishing prowess on more than one occasion.
“We’re focused on this game against Dragons now, who aren’t a side to be taken lightly,” Albert said.
“They’re strong up front and we need to be on our game against them and earn it.
“They’re forward orientated and like to get on the front foot so our goal will be to take that away from them and try to win the battle up front early on.
“But we also need to play to our game plan and move the ball out wide where we have a strong strike force with some real depth in our backline.
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“The boys have a lot of energy coming into the game with a strong training session behind them and a lot of fire in their bellies following the loss.”
The winning side will face off against South Darwin in the grand final on March 20.
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