By Beth Newman
There are a few rungs between Mayne and Burleigh on the Allied Pickfords ladder but Tigers coach, Mitch Ferguson says his side will not be lured into complacency tomorrow.
Ferguson said the Tigers would be very wary of the “best last-placed side ever” in the Bombers.
“They’re a tricky customer, Burleigh,” he said.
“Looking at their side, there are some names in there – that are big names in the competition.
“Last week’s blow out aside, they’ve been really good I would’ve thought.”
While a percentage boost would certainly be handy for the Tigers, who are in a congested middle section of the competition, Ferguson said he would be happy with any win tomorrow.
“Percentage isn’t an issue for us,” he said.
“We’re happy to win by a point, just happy to get the four points and continue on a bit of a roll.”
The Tigers are looking forward to next week’s competition bye, with Matt Jones, Henry Leong, Jack Collings and Spencer Greville all missing though injury this weekend.
The hole left by those absences will at least be partially covered by the return of experienced campaigners, Tom Falconer and Corey Messingham.
“We’ll be limping into the bye,” Ferguson said.
“We’ve got four players out with injury and we’re looking forward to the bye but we also desperately need to pick up the four points.”
Burleigh wingman, Hugh Priest, could cause a few headaches for the Bombers, coming off some good form in recent weeks.
Bombers coach, Shane Williams, wielded the axe this week in a bid to send a message to his senior players.
Concerned with a lack of mental toughness in recent weeks, Williams is confident that his side will lift, knowing that there is pressure on their spots.
A lot of the boys (included) are reserves players that have been knocking on the door ,” he said.
“They’ll 100 per cent do what they’re told and go hard all day.
“That’s why we’ve brought them in. And, the other thing is they work a lot harder to hold their spots.”
Williams said he was feeling upbeat ahead of the clash with Mayne, despite being winless to this point in the season.
“We’re approaching it with confidence,” he said.
“We go in to win the game and if we can play to our systems, we can be as competitive as any side in the competition.”
Wade Dickson is a major inclusion for the Bombers on Saturday, adding some versatility to the side.
“He’s a very clever player and gives us great run and skill off halfback and we can play him anywhere.” Williams said.
With the competition having a bye next week, Williams said he would be expecting his side to leave nothing in the tank tomorrow.
“It’s time to give it everything,” he said.
“We have a week off to recover and then we’ll look forward to a big six weeks on the way home. “
Heading up the other Round 10 games, is a clash between Springwood and Surfers Paradise.
The Pumas had their first loss of the season against Palm Beach and will be looking to redeem themselves against the Demons.
Palm Beach outran Springwood at home last weekend, and the Demons are another small side that has proven their ability to run over the top of oppositions.
Sandgate takes on Noosa at Lemke Rd, in what should be a great clash between two young sides.
The Hawks returned to their fighting best last weekend in a performance coach, Rob Dickfos, lauded as their best of the year.
Noosa has also shown an ability to fight well beyond the ages of its players and will look to prove themselves against a relatively similar opposition.
Maroochydore faces the Magpies at Fisherman’s Rd and will need to be at their best to notch up a win.
The Magpies are coming off a confidence, and percentage, boosting win over UQ and will be keen to carry that momentum into the bye and make a charge to finals.
Coolangatta and Palm Beach face off in a Gold Coast derby at Peak Oval tomorrow.
The Blues survived a thriller last week against Noosa but will need to step up to match it with a high-flying Lions team.
UQ will be looking to claw back some respect, in an Oval 7 match against grange.
After two consecutive triple-figure losses, the Red Lions need to have a competitive showing , despite a number of absences.
The Gorillas will be looking for a crucial percentage boost at St Lucia, and will be incredibly tough to beat, as they have been all season.
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