Dapto Canaries captain Troy Pieper believes his team can make a late run to the finals after they secured a crucial 22-18 win over Thirroul in Round 10 of the Mojo Homes Illawarra Cup last Saturday.
The Canaries are now just two wins outside the top four, heading into their weekend clash with Western Suburbs on the back of consecutive wins this season for the first time.
“We’re definitely very confident heading into this week,” Pieper explains.
“‘Wally’ (Coach Blake Wallace) fills us with that much confidence every week, we’ve always got our backs against the wall, and no one gives us a chance. He’s always driving that into us, and now we’re actually believing that we can do it.”
Pieper says the team was forced to adopt a new mindset at training and on the field after losing to De La Salle in Round 8.
The Canaries were leading 20-12 inside the last 15 minutes before a disastrous passage saw them concede five unanswered tries in the 38-20 loss.
He also commended coach Wallace and their three former NRL players, Brad Takairangi, Pita Godinet, and Aaron Gray, for their positive influence on the training paddock.
“They’ve been awesome this year. Around the Club, they’re always helping out the young boys when they need a hand with their direction or what they’re doing right or wrong.”
“Hopefully, these last five rounds, we can go on a bit of a run toward the finals and scare a few teams.”
Devils ready to fire
Western Suburbs come into the match on the other side of the coin; they’ve lost their last two matches after winning seven and drawing one of their first eight games.
A loss to Collegians last weekend has seen them drop to second on the ladder, with the Devils expected to come out firing to keep their minor premiership aspirations alive.
In the other Mojo Homes Illawarra Cup matches to be played over the weekend, Thirroul will aim to recover from their loss last weekend when they take on De La Salle, while Collegians travel to Ziems Park to take on Corrimal.
The table has tightened in the First Division competition, with the bottom four teams separated by just two competition points. Helensburgh, Corrimal, and Dapto are all equal on points and have a chance to make headway when they take on Thirroul, Collegians, and Wests, respectively.
The Harrigan Shield is also at an exciting juncture with five games left to play. Berkeley has a comfortable lead at the top of the table, while Figtree, Avondale, and Windang are in a dogfight for second position. Last year’s premiers Northern Suburbs, are four points adrift but remain in finals contention.
This weekend, Berkeley plays Windang, Avondale takes on Mount Kembla, and Figtree locks horns with Corrimal.
Words | Russ Haylock
