ALBURY Thunder coach Josh Cale is expecting the Kangaroos to throw everything at his charges as they attempt to keep their Group 9 rugby league season alive at Greenfield Park tomorrow.
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With the highly rated Wagga side slumping to eighth spot on the ladder and fast running out of chances, Cale believes rival coach Adam Hall will have his players breathing fire in the opening 20 minutes.
“Obviously this time of the year you can’t afford to drop any games especially when you are on the borderline of the five,” Cale said yesterday.
“They will be desperate and we have spoken about that.
“They always come down here and put up a good fight.
“It’s definitely going to be a tough game as they are a real workmanlike side.”
Thunder will welcome dual premiership player Chris Seaton back into the centres while Jon Huggett looks set to start on the bench after being a late withdrawal last weekend due to illness.
Mitch Seaton could miss another month due to a knee injury.
Kangaroos also have their injury worries with Hall set to miss with an Achilles tendon problem and recruit Jade Williams in doubt with a hip problem.
Cale said Glenn Dumbrell was a real danger.
“Hayden Davis is big and strong and a good player but Dumbrell is right out of the Lou Goodwin mould,” Cale said.
“Last time we played them he tore us to bits around the ruck.
“Someone like him is always going to play well but we will just have to try and limit his effectiveness.”
Kangaroos have a horror draw ahead with clashes against Albury, Tumbarumba and Young and will need to win at least two of those matches to keep in touch with a pack of teams jostling for positions in the top five.
In other matches, Tumbarumba is desperate to bounce back against Young.
The Greens were embarrassed in their last match at Greenfield Park and will need to adopt a more disciplined approach to be any chance of toppling the Cherrypickers.
Brothers should bring down winless Tumut, Southcity will bolster its percentage with a big win over a hapless Junee and Gundagai will start favourites in their match against Temora.
Meanwhile, Albury’s Lou Goodwin and Cootamundra’s Grant Boyd lead the Weissel Medal leaderboard at the halfway stage of the season.
They have 13 votes with Kangaroos’ Glenn Dumbrell, Southcity’s Nathan Rose and Temora’s Michael Henderson a further vote back.
Albury fullback Ben Jeffery is six votes off the pace.
They will be desperate and we have spoken about that. They always come down here and put up a good fight.
It’s definitely going to be a tough game as they are a real workmanlike side. — JOSH CALE