The Country North rugby league team's Police Bank Cup campaign got off to a less-than-ideal start yesterday, as it lost to both Manly and Bankstown.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Coach Geoff Sharpe did not mince words in his assessment of the games, and said that a spate of retirements and the sheer distance across which the players were based made training and finding consistency difficult.
"We made the semis last year, but we've probably got about 70 per cent of that team this year," Sharpe said.
"We had a couple of big retirements, which was a shame, and we're probably two or three players short of being able to match it with the top teams.
"All the Sydney teams get to train a couple of times a week leading up to the tournament, whereas we come together on Sundays for a training run ... we're a little bit disadvantaged with the distances we have to travel."
That struggle was clear on the field, as Country North fell 18-12 against Manly in round one, and 24-10 against Bankstown in round two.
With the most difficult match of the tournament still ahead of them today, against Easts, Sharpe was succinct in his assessment of where the side needs to improve.
"The focus is to catch the ball, run the ball, and don't drop the ball," he said.
Translated: doing the basics right will vastly improve the team's chances.
Should a dramatic upset occur, Country North is still in with a shot of making finals depending on the outcomes of the other games.
"The only thing we can do is try for a win and hope some other results go our way so we can make the semis," Sharpe said.
"Otherwise, we're drinking beers Tuesday night."
Despite the losses, there was one positive that Sharpe noted from Monday's play.
"The highlight was senior constable Ben Nash from Tamworth scoring a try under the posts, his first one," he said.
"It got him off a nude run."
The final group round of the Police Bank Cup will take place today, beginning from 11.30am with a clash between Bankstown and Manly at Tamworth's Scully Park.
Country North will play the second game of the day against Easts from 12.30pm, with games to follow between Penrith and Campbelltown at 1.30pm, and Country South and Parramatta at 2.30pm.
Finals fixtures and times will be announced by NSW Police Rugby League via social media as the day progresses.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark northerndailyleader.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Google News