Souths coach Liam Capewell knows the road ahead is tough for his team

Facing an injury crisis, Souths coach Liam Capewell is calling on his players to strongly come out the other side of a testing period.

Jacob Whittaker. Picture: Kevin Farmer

RUGBY LEAGUE: Football was never meant to be an easy game, and Southern Suburbs are experiencing that first-hand.

The Tigers slumped to their second successive defeat at the weekend, going down 50-16 to Dalby at the Toowoomba Sports Ground.

It comes on the back of a 66-0 defeat to Warwick just a week prior, however Souths aren’t throwing in the towel by any stretch.

With injuries and player unavailabilities leaving them undermanned once again, coach Liam Capewell is standing by his players as they look to turn the tide.

“It’s a bit of a tough one,” Capewell said.

“It’s the hardest injury toll I’ve had at the club. We had 10 of our top 17 unavailable at the weekend.

“We’ve bought some young blokes in and two 18 year olds made their debut.

“We were up 10-8 after 30 minutes, but with that lack of experience we ran out of that initial nervous energy and knew we were going in for a battle.

“It’s disappointing, but there are some positives to take out of it, considering the previous weekend.”

Souths held onto a narrow advantage deep into the first half, before three late tries gave Dalby a 26-10 advantage at the break.

“Those tries really did hurt,” Capewell said.

“You’re going to get that with an inexperienced bench, and it’s tough to match up against the likes of Dalby and Warwick, and then Gatton this week.

“As a club we need to knuckle down and come out the other side of this all guns blazing.

“There’s a bit of understanding in the group. We’re not a team for excuses.

“As a coach you want them to be upfront. If someone’s not putting in the effort, they pull them up, but at the same time they won’t snap at each other.

“There’s still a good vibe and we’re talking about what’s coming next, not dwelling on the past.”