THE players came up with a much-improved performance but still went down 30-16 against Central Coast, writes Mike Rush.
The result reflected the game as a whole and despite the fact we are working hard and bonding as a team we are still some way short of the best we know we can produce.
We gave up too much ball in vital parts of the field and with overall possession of around 60 / 40 to the Central Coast; the young lads again had to defend far too much in the Aussie heat.
Despite the lack of possession though we still created enough chances to win the game – but we simply didn’t take those opportunities.
A good example of this was the first three sets of the game when we had a try crossed off for a forward pass and another opportunity to Dave Eccleston which should have been a certain try.
The players’ effort and desire to work hard was never in doubt with strong performances from Phil Atherton, Jake Spedding and Morgan Knowles – all of whom took out the match prizes despite being from the younger age group.
None of these lads have even undertaken a pre-season as an Academy player let alone played in the Academy competition and this all looks good for the club in the long term.
With 17 out of the 27 from the younger age group we as a side are always giving away experience and size when playing against lads a year to two years older than most of the players.
I am sure all the players have woken up this morning knowing the game was there for the taking and will be disappointed they couldn’t find the first win on tour.
Our tries came from the impressive Jake Spedding, Liam Forsyth and Adam Saunders with Dave Hewitt tagging on two goals.
Overall the staff are pleased with the improvement the players have made while being away and all are looking forward to the next game on Sunday against Wests Tigers (6pm local time – 8am British time) at Campbelltown Oval.
The players are maturing in front of us and their effort and spirit is really pleasing to see. They are growing as a team and are gaining experience despite the scoreboard not going our way at the moment.
We’re confident that final aspect will change.
To find out more on the Academy Tour, click here.
Man of the Match Phil Atherton.
