The Uralla Tigers sit in a handy position on top of both the men’s and league tag ladders in the Group 19 second division competition but have one of the toughest away trips in the tournament this Saturday.
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The Tigers head to Ashford who, in the men’s competition, have emerged as darkhorses after a 26-16 defeat of high-flying Tenterfield.
The last time the two sides clashed in round five, Uralla escaped with a 26-18 win on their home turf but captain-coach Josh Clark is is expecting an even tougher task this time.
“It is not unexpected for us, we knew they had a good side and were were only lucky to win that game,” he said.
“We got over top of them in that round and we are hoping to do the same this time.
“We are looking forward to a challenge. They knocked off Tenterfield, that is a big achievement and we are looking to knock them back down a few levels.”
Uralla are treating each game as a must win in order to keep their lofty position on the ladder.
“At the same time, we need to win too to keep the minor premiership within grasp also,” Clark said.
“We want a home semi, we haven't lost at home yet so we definitely want it there to have a chance at holding the grand final, it would be huge for Uralla. It is definitely in our minds anyway.”
After spending round 11 on the sidelines with the bye, Uralla are raring to go and Clark is expecting a full squad to travel to Ashford.
“We are going to be full-strength, there's only Kelcie [Davis] out but he will be back the following week but we are going over there confident, as we always do,” he said.
“We have Josh Dunne back this week, he refreshed and trained really good on Tuesday after a couple of weeks off being an older fella.”
In the league tag, the Tigers are yet to lose a game but will continue their season without last year’s Group 4 second division leading tryscorer Brooke Doyle as well as the 2017 fourth-placed tryscorer Alyce Walsh.
Coach Kerry Brett said losing the duo is a “blow” to the side but is confident they can continue their unbeaten run, starting with Ashford.
“I am not lying, the loss of those two girls is a big loss and a lot of things were centred around them,” he said.
“Our expansive sort of game that we have been playing might have to be pulled in a fair bit for the time being and get back on top of how we play around the girls we have got.
“We are lucky to have a depth of experienced players and good young players.”
While their opponents for their coming game sit second last on the table, Brett believes they will have to be at their best to topple them.
“From their point of view, like most teams they have got a couple of good players that a lot of things centre around. If any team is not on for the day, teams like Ashford can give us a scare or even upset us,” he said.