by Patrick May (Armidale Express, 24/04/2006)

The New England Nomads have had a perfect start to the 2006 season, beating the Tamworth Swans by over 20 points.

The Nomads, unfancied in some quarters against last year’s finalists and the 2006 Tablelands Cup winners [the Roos actually won this, the Swans won the TAFL Pre-season Cup], took their chances to win 11.9.75 to 7.10.52.

The Armidale team played a strong, physical game to stifle the skills of the Swans, and appeared the more energetic team.

Nomads half forward and media officer Jack Sartor stated that the club’s pronounced underdog status gave the Nomads all the motivation they need to start the season with a win.

“They didn’t come out really hard, they expected to win a bit, I think, and we were really motivated,” he said.

Whilst the Nomads did not excel in the pre-season cup, Sartor believes that this win may signal better days ahead for the once dominant club after a transitional period.

“We were really good across the park, no one had a bad game: we just played really well as a team,” he said.

Sartor did mention Glen Northway and Joel Webber as important players on the pitch, while Mark Kelly was an influential presence in his farewell match before he moves to the USA.

“We’ve got a few guys coming back after the bye next week as well.”

The Nomads play Muswellbrook after a break this weekend, and will be looking to build some momentum early on in the season.

The break may be just what the doctor ordered for some players, as games in the competition now go for 100 minutes: a fact that caught some of the Nomads by surprise.

“Everyone’s in a world of cramps right now” stated Sartor, but the Nomads have no major injury concerns and, after the return of several players, will be hoping that they can show the skills that were on evidence against the Swans.

Not for reproduction except by permission of the Armidale Express.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 25th, 2006 at 5:01 pm and is filed under In the press, Match report. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.