The Tenterfield Tigers men’s side have to step up and fight for their season after losing to Ashford Roosters at home on Saturday.
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The Tigers went down 26-16 against the Group 19 second division darkhorses and have dropped to fourth on the table as a result.
Ashford came out firing and piled on early points and Tenterfield couldn’t recover.
Captain-coach Brendan Minns admitted his side struggled to get into the game.
“We wanted to start well but unfortunately that wasn't the way it panned out,” he said.
“We struggled to get into the game and at the back-end of the half we did have a fair bit of momentum but a couple of missed opportunities and silly decisions.
“We just couldn't convert ball into points which was probably the most frustrating thing.”
Their task this Saturday for round 12 couldn’t be any tougher with an away trip to Warialda.
The Wombats recovered from their mid-season form slump to beat Walcha 40-nil in their last outing.
“We only just beat them up here 32-30 and we know we are in for a big one,” Minns said.
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“We have to show up and be prepared.
“It is going to be a very tough game.
“Like I said to the boys, the actual back-end of the competition doesn't get any easier.”
All but one of the Tigers five remaining fixtures are against teams vying for a finals spot.
Minns called for his team to commit to the rest of the season or they risk missing out on the semi-finals altogether.
“We really have to rectify our defensive issues and get them in order or we are looking at losing touch with that top four,” he said.
“Uralla are two points clear of us now and Warialda is one. If we get beaten out there we have another chance to level up with them but then you have to hope they get beaten by someone else.
“Even if we end up on the same points as Uralla, our points differential in regards to our defence is not fantastic.
“Out of that top four we have the worst for and against so no matter where we land on points we have to make sure we get two points. We have got to really sharpen our pencil or we are looking at dropping out of contention.
“Numbers-wise we aren't looking great either.
“We are only getting 15-16 to games”
