Fired-up Darwin Dragons hope to continue hot streak against Casuarina Cougars

DARWIN Dragons will look to continue their winning run post-COVID break as they come up against Casuarina for a third place square-off in Darwin A-grade rugby union action

Dragons’ half Brayden Cunningham expected to fire in Cougars encounter. Picture Glenn Campbell

DARWIN Dragons will look to continue their winning run post-COVID break as they come up against Casuarina for a third place square-off in Darwin A-grade rugby union action.

The Dragons have enjoyed wins over South Darwin and Palmerston since the competition restart, securing their place in the top four.

Coach Puru Westrupp felt the forced break suited his side, with key players returning refreshed, and that has been evident in their recent victories.

“I think the break worked well for us, with players able to come back from injury,” Westrupp told the NT News.

“We had two pretty solid wins, with Souths being a hard team to beat on the best of days.

“But our defensive efforts were pretty great.”

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The recent wins have pulled the Dragons to equal footing with Saturday’s opposition Casuarina, and the match-up will go a long way to deciding third place.

The reigning premiers will be hoping their momentum continues to build, with new captain Hirini Murfitt expected to stand out in the absence of the injured Drew Tobin.

Half pairing Nigel Maher and Brayden Cunningham will also be looking to fire once more, with Cunningham scoring two tries in the match against Palmerston.

Meanwhile, Cougars will be looking for a breakthrough result of their own.

Single-score losses to top two sides University and South Darwin will have them feeling a win is not far away.

“Cougars pride themselves on their good set plays with a confident scrum and a solid line-out,” Westrupp said.

“Our defensive effort and communication will once more be important, as the big games are all won on really good defensive work.

“But most of all we will be looking to approach this match with the same attitude as the past two games where we will just be looking at getting ourselves right and the result will sort itself out.”

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Meanwhile, South Darwin will be on the hunt for a win to secure its top-two position, as it faces off against Palmerston.