Refreshed Darwin Dragons ready to take battle to potential danger side South Darwin

DEFENDING champions Darwin Dragons are ready to get back on the field after the Christmas break with a meeting against South Darwin their first target in Round 9 of the 2020-21 Darwin A-grade Rugby Union competition.

Darwin Dragons Hirini Murfitt has been a powerhouse in the forwards. Picture: Glenn Campbell

DEFENDING champions Darwin Dragons are ready to get back on the field after the Christmas break with a meeting against South Darwin their first target in Round 9 of the 2020-21 Darwin A-grade Rugby Union competition.

Coach Puru Westrupp felt his side benefited from the break, finishing the 2020 half of the season a little stale with a 42-17 loss to Casuarina.

However, in spite of that match, the Dragons remain top of the table and the coach feels that after a refresher his side is back in business.

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“We needed that break with everyone coming back looking refreshed considering we were getting a bit stale beforehand,” Westrupp told the NT News.

“Against Cougars the scoreline wasn’t flattering for us but there’s no excuses and full credit to Cougars who looked good. I was happy with our effort and we did much better in the second half than the first.

“There’s still a couple of guys out with small niggling injuries but there’s no need to throw them in at this stage as we have a good consistent squad of 23-25 guys that we can use on a regular basis.”

Now with the break behind them, Westrupp’s men have their eyes set on South Darwin, its last match ending in a 33-14 win over the Palmerston Crocs.

The Bunnies are a side full of running options, with Nasoni Rokobiau, Vincent Mehn and Jone Vakecegu all known to make something happen from nothing.

However, Dragons will look to their forward power and defensive capabilities as valuable counters, with captain Drew Tobin alongside Blake Fletcher hard to go past when it comes to defence.

Three-time Eric Johnston medalist Hirini Murfitt, Chris Bierman and Hare Wintana are among those in the forwards with the power to win the ball and make a difference for the premiers.

“Souths can be quite hard as they have a game plan but can also ab lib throwing the ball around plenty which can be hard to defend against,” Westrupp said.

“Our forward pack is a big part of our game and get plenty of front-foot ball for our backline while in defence it will come down to our midfield who are all quite strong in the one on one tackles.

“It’s a really tight competition this year. If you’re not on your game you can be beaten by any side so there really are no easy games anymore.

“For us we’re just looking to find our best combinations and hope to have our best team on the field in the lead up to finals.”

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Meanwhile, University Pirates and Casuarina Cougars also both return to action in the earlier match of the day, fighting it out for second on the table.