Dolphins V Magpies game preview
The Redcliffe Dolphins’ Hostplus Cup side are in good form with three rounds of the regular season left before finals but they’re not underestimating this weekend’s opponents Souths Logan Magpies.
Head Coach Scott Murray says the 14th-placed Magpies are no easy-beats.
“We know they’re sitting at the bottom of the ladder but we’re not reading too much into that. They’ve got some great attacking players Tesi Niu could be back from the Broncos. They’ve got a couple of players in their backline that are really dangerous,” Murray says.
“It’s not easy to go to Davies Park and get the result you want. It’s an important game for us.”
The Dolphins leapfrogged Wynnum to fourth on the ladder following their round 17, 28-18 win at Moreton Daily Stadium last Sunday. See our photo gallery here
The win sets a new club record with a 10-game unbeaten run this season.
Solid win against Wynnum
Murray was pleased with the win against their bayside rivals and his side’s defensive effort to keep Wynnum to 18 points in warm conditions.
“We’re progressing fairly well with that side of things and have been working really hard,” he says.
“Wynnum are a really tough team to play against and beat. It was really pleasing but we missed some opportunities to pull away from them.
“We created opportunities, but a dropped ball or bad pass enabled them to hang in there.”
The team looked slick in attack, throwing the ball around with confidence.
|“When we do get down in that area, we can score. They have confidence in each other that if they get in the right spot they can score some tries,” Murray says.|
While last-minute changes to the squad had the potential to be disruptive, Murray says he was proud of how the Warriors’ players stepped up.
“If they’re playing well at this (Hostplus Cup) level, you get rewarded … which is what we want,” he says.
Two players definitely lining up for the Warriors’ NRL round 22 clash with the Bulldogs in Auckland on Friday night are Daejarn Asi and Viliami Vailea.
Adam Pompey, Rocco Berry and Tom Ale have also been named in the extended squad, but it is not clear if they will play.
Murray says he will have a better idea tonight who is likely to be available for the Dolphins, with a tight timeline between the Warriors’ game in New Zealand and the Dolphins’ game at Davies Park on Sunday afternoon.
“There’s a chance of us getting some of those other boys back for the game. It will be a matter of logistics,” he says.
Finals preparation
In the run-up to the Hostplus Cup finals, Murray and his team will sharpen their focus on a couple of key areas.
“Just building on what we’ve been doing. We’ve got to be better in discipline, we’re giving away too many penalties. We’ve been working on that all year … sometimes the proof isn’t always in the pudding,” he explains.
Players also need to reduce the number of fundamental errors if they want to be competitive.
Murray says there’s a positive vibe among the players at present, on the back of good form in training and on game days.
|“They’re enjoying coming to training and enjoy each other’s company. That makes a massive difference. These are part-time guys, working full-time. We want training and footy to be the best part of their day,” he says.|
“They’re all enjoying being part of it.”
Also keen to be part of the on-field action is captain Cameron Cullen who has been sidelined following a neck injury and surgery.
He’s recovered well and will ease back into playing, starting this week.
“He will be playing in the BRL this week to see how he gets through it mentally, physically and emotionally,” Murray says.
“He’s worked really hard to get back in this position, but we’ll take it gradually with him. He will have to earn his spot but it’s great he’s up and about.”