The Tigers racked up another win against the Stanthorpe Gremlins on Saturday at Rugby League Park, but the 38-28 scoreline reflects too many tries allowed in, according to captain/coach Brendan Minns.
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“It was great to get the win in front of a home crowd, but we left a lot to be desired due to our mistakes,” he said, “but still we played well.”
Minns said the team improved in its try-making, with a couple of structured plays reaping results thanks to great passing and teamwork.
“The boys never stopped pushing up, and everyone was keen and got involved.”
Players’ Player honours were shared between Wayne Brown and Jake Adams, with Jack Wilson also playing well in the centre.
“Everyone got in and had a bit of a go, but we still need to work on our defence.”
One of Minns’ main concerns from the match was the team’s inability to retain the ball for a complete set once it had been returned following a try.
“We’d either hand it over or it went out on the kick,” he said.
“It put us under too much pressure, and we struggled to keep the pressure on Stanthorpe at crucial times.”
The Tigers scored seven tries, with Faron Anderson crossing the line twice and Cameron Binge, Tim Kelly, Jack Wilson, Geoff Swan Snr and Wayne Brown all scoring one each.
Minns said Geoff Swan Jnr kicked extremely well, putting six over the bar. He will be sorely missed when he returns to school on the Gold Coast, but Minns is hoping to get him back for another game to make him eligible for the finals.
“For a 17-year-old he plays unreal footy,” Minns said.
Minns remained sidelined with his shoulder injury, and will see how the week plays out before committing to taking the field against Inglewood on Saturday. He’s torn between missing one week to let it recover, or playing and risking further injury to put him out for the season.
For a 17-year-old he plays unreal footy.
- Brendan Minns
“If I play I won’t be going in half-hearted,” he said.
Inglewood won 66-8 against an undermanned Killarney side last Saturday, and Minns said without a doubt they’ll be very strong again when they meet the Tigers.
“Yet again we’ll have to concentrate on our defence and stop Inglewood going forward. If we have a good start and get to complete sets, we’ll have an indication that we can get the win.”
If the Tigers do succeed, it will put them one point ahead of Inglewood on the leaderboard and better their chances for the minor premiership and a home ground grand final.
The Tigers are more than ready for it, according to Minns, with 20 players fronting up last Saturday and a similar number expected for the match against Inglewood.
He said the players have also been getting to training and putting in the hard work.
“Hopefully it will pay off on Saturday with a win. We can be better, if we fix up some minor issues.”
Minns said it will be one of the biggest games thus far, and could be the Tiger’s second last home game so he’s hoping for a big home crowd to cheer on the boys. Kick-off is at 2.30pm, with bar and canteen operating.
