Litchfield Bears brace for battle against sturdy Nightcliff Dragons outfit

PREMIERS Litchfield Bears have their eyes firmly on a tough Nightcliff outfit on Saturday night, despite the absence of some seasoned regulars

Bears Clint Chettle on the charge against South Darwin. Picture: Glenn Campbell

PREMIERS Litchfield Bears have their eyes firmly on a tough Nightcliff outfit on Saturday night, despite the absence of some seasoned regulars.

Captain Luke Mahood will be one of the bigger losses for the Bears in the Round 5 NRL NT premiership game at Territory Rugby League Stadium.

However, the veteran was confident in his side’s abilities with or without his aid, particularly following a strong 56-10 victory over Sharks last Saturday night.

“It was good for us to get that win over Sharks and it certainly lifted our spirits,” Mahood told the NT News.

“It was a very physical game that would have left a number of sore bodies afterwards with the scoreboard not truly reflecting how strong Sharks were throughout the contest.”

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The Dragons suffered a 30-10 loss to Palmerston last round and will be looking to return to winning ways themselves.

However, winning against the Bears in recent seasons has not been an easy ask and they will need to be sharp at both ends of the ground. Despite the absence of Mahood and Aaron Barnes among others, the Bears will still field a strong side including Dillan Vanderburg and Adam Hall.

Workhorses Daniel Gallow and Brody Race will also be looking to cause problems for the Nightcliff defence across the field.

“Nightcliff can be a tough side through the middle and have been strong for some time in that area,” Mahood said.

“That’s where the game will be won with both sets of forwards going at each other to give their halves and backs an edge out wide.

“And then it will come down to completions which is a big focus for us.

“Just complete our sets and do the little things right and we should be all right.”

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Meanwhile, in other A-grade Saturday night action, the unbeaten Palmerston Raiders return from a week’s break to take on an ailing South Darwin. In the later match, Darwin Brothers will look to back up their first win of the year — a massive 90-4 victory over Souths — with another triumph when they take on Northern Sharks.