THE Tathra Sea Eagles Aussie rules senior squad is ready to take on the Narooma Lions on Saturday.
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The Sea Eagles will be on the road to Narooma, and senior coach Luke Taylor is expecting a tough match.
“We expect good competition from them up there,” Taylor said.
Taylor said the travel time to Narooma can bother some players, but was sure of a competitive team.
“At this stage I’m confident most of the boys will put their hand up [to play].
“It will be a big stepping stone to play Bermagui next week,” he said.
The Sea Eagles have been facing turbulence with changing squads and this week will be no different, but Taylor is confident.
“This week we’ll gain Jesse Meaker back from suspension.
“He served his one match ban last week, he’s a big part of our team being the ruckman.
“Shayne Rettke is back in the side for the winter, he was the best on ground last year in the reserves,” he said.
With a few strong players in, the Sea Eagles are also facing a few players out of the line-up.
“There are a couple of question marks as far as injuries.
“We’ll wait and see to make a call on those guys if they’ll play.
“We’ll give them right until the last minute.”
David Little could be one of the players out of the squad with a niggling injury, but Taylor said Meaker’s return would cover the ruck position.
“Having Jesse back in will certainly cover us if Croc [Little] is out.
“We’d love to have both of them running around, to have them both would be awesome.
“But we just have to be sure to manage the guys and have them ready for September.”
Taylor said despite the shifting squad for each team, the players are starting to “click” together and form a strong club.
“I’ve never had any doubt really we would start to click together as a club, it’s just taken a little longer this year than previously.”
With a few wins under their belt, the Sea Eagles are looking good to take on the Lions tomorrow.
“It’s always going a tough gig going up there,” Taylor said.
“But it is a good place to play and it’s one of my favourite grounds in the league.”
A big threat coming out of the Lions will be coach Rowan Hawker.
“Hawker, their coach, is probably their number one guy, he’s so versatile he can play any position.
“You have to keep an eye on him,” Taylor said.
The Sea Eagles will be aiming to keep possession away from the multi-skilled Hawker.
“If anyone can turn the tables, he can so we’ll keep a close eye on him and make sure he doesn’t get too much of the footy.”
Meanwhile, Taylor said the club was enjoying more stability.
“There’s a lot more interest now that the alarm bells were raised.
“There is just a good feeling around the place really.
“Just letting everyone know the situation has been good – it’s already starting to show as far as results on the field,” he said.
The Sea Eagles will face off against the Lions at Bill Smythe Memorial Oval, Narooma, from 2.15pm tomorrow.