Waratah banking on fitness in tight fixture list ahead of their encounter with the Tiwi Bombers

WARATAH coach Ryan Ayres feels his side’s fitness will once again be key as they face off against a Tiwi Bombers outfit looking to rebound in the postponed Round 13 NTFL match at Gardens Oval.

Waratah’s Michael Newton will make his return to the side against Tiwi. Picture: Che Chorley

WARATAH coach Ryan Ayres feels his side’s fitness will once again be key as it faces off against a Tiwi Bombers outfit looking to rebound in the postponed clash at Gardens Oval on Friday night.

The yet-to-be-played Round 13 match between Tiwi and Waratah postponed due to COVID concerns saw both sides given an extra week off the field

But despite the extra week of rust the Tahs showed their fitness to blast past Palmerston 24.18 (162) to 5.6 (36) in a result that impressed their coach Ryan Ayres.

“I was really impressed with that result as we had a few weeks between games and I wasn’t sure how we would go,” Ayres told the NT News.

“The guys did a lot of work over the break and that showed. The win gave us a bit more belief and confidence in our systems and hopefully we carry that forward.”

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Waratah will now play their second game of three within 10 days against a Tiwi side who have yet to find themselves in the winners.

Though Ayres remains cautious of the potentially dangerous side who will be looking to rebound after a heavy 37.19 (241) to 7.9 (51) loss to Wanderers last week.

Tiwi will find themselves without captain Paddy Heenan, who will play for Big Rivers, while Harley Puruntatameri is on the interchange of the NTFL rep side.

Tahs will also be short a few for the weekend of representative action, with Abe Ankers, Zach Westerberg, Rob Turnbull and Callum Searle playing for the NTFL side, while co-captain Brodie Carroll will feature for Big Rivers.

But Waratah will look to their depth, which includes a strong Division 1 squad and the likes of Will Collis and Dylan Collis, who have had consistent seasons and the return of Michael Newton and Mitch O’Donnell.

“Tiwi can be a bit dangerous and I don’t know what to expect but they will definitely be looking to rebound from that loss last week,” Ayres said.

“Winning is all about respecting them as an opponent. We just need to treat this game as we would any other and if we do that and stick to our plan we should come away with the win.

“It’s good that they’ve all done a fair bit of work off the track, with that short turnaround to Wanderers, which has our fitness up so with that in mind we should be all right.

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“We will have a couple out for rep games and I’m extremely proud in my guys who get picked. There’s a really big competition for spots and it will be a big honour to make selection.”