Tamworth coach Peter Burke will have conflicting emotions when the Magpies run out onto Tamworth Rugby Park today to tackle St Albert's for the remaining New England grand final spot.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The students are captained by Burke's son Will.
It's an interesting narrative to what is arguably the Magpies' biggest game in almost two decades.
The last time the club played in a first grade decider was back in 2001 when they were beaten 55-3 by Moree.
To put that into perspective the Albies players weren't even at school then.
Saturday won't be the first time the battle lines have been drawn in the Burke household but the stakes are higher this time round.
One of them come 4.30pm, will be preparing for a grand final, the other offering their commiserations.
It's a unique dynamic, especially for the Magpies mentor - grappling with the emotions of a proud coach and proud father.
"I'm very proud of Will and what he is achieving with Albies," Peter said.
"I think he's playing great and I think he's leading the team particularly well."
"But he's not on my team.
"So when he crosses that white line he's just the opposition and we'll be doing everything in our power to shut him and the rest of the team down."
READ ALSO:
Will, who under his fathers tutelage won an under-16s title with the Magpies, said it has "been good fun".
"There's always a bit of banter between us at the dinner table," he said.
"But as soon as we get to game day, it's a shake of the hands and on we go."
And then when it's over they share a good laugh about it.
Until their last encounter it was Peter with the bragging rights, Will one of the main perpetrators as the students claimed a 28-3 victory.
He said they have drawn a lot of confidence from that result.
"We've been on a little bit of a hot run lately, we've had four wins on the trot now," Will said,
"That momentum has slingshotted us into the finals and we'll be looking to keep running on that."
The 22-year old, who had until two years ago when he was pushed into the backrow played most of his career in the backs, said it can be a bit daunting leading guys around that are the same age as you but has thrived with the captaincy.
"It's been a pretty big step up in leadership and with everything that it entails," he said.
"But it's fun and it's improved my rugby."
He spoke about starting well in both halves and rolling off that. They have been a bit guilty of lapses in concentration in the first 10 minutes.
The Magpies have lost their last two but Burke is feeling "really positive".
"The boys absolutely trained the house down last (Thursday) night, probably one of the better training runs we've ever had," he said.
"They're really keen and enthusiastic so that's a real positive I think."
He felt the occasion got to them last week with Robb rocketting out to a 34-14 lead at half-time, and they were never able to recover.
"The whole club were overawed to be honest and a little bit emotional, and forgot some of the basics, in defence in particular," he said.
"We've chatted about that and the boys believe they know what they've done wrong and we should see a more rounded performance by way of playing the whole 80 minutes the way they should."
He highlighted their defence as an area they really need to pick up from the last game against Albies.
"We've got to do better at getting the ball carrier on the ground it's as simple as that," he said.
"We've been trying to tackle too high."
"And once you've got them on the ground then owning the space over the ball is the next thing."
