Nomads in good shape

By James Polson (Armidale Express, 29/08/2008)
One of the hardest tasks in the Tamworth Australian Football League (TAFL) season will decide whether the New England Nomads will take on the Tamworth Kangaroos for their first TAFL premiership since 2004.

The Nomads will hit the road to take on the defending premiers, the Inverell Saints, at Varley Oval tomorrow.

They qualified for the all-or-nothing match with a 12-point win over the Gunnedah Bulldogs at home last weekend.

The locals are yet to defeat the Saints in the 2008 season, but a number of their matches fell at times when Nomad numbers were decimated through the university holidays.

Things will be different tomorrow however, with the Nomads the strongest they have been since the Tablelands Cup pre-season competition, which they won.

“It’s the strongest we’ve been in the home-and-away season,” coach Brendan Meehan said.

“I’ve got a few calls to make to confirm players but the numbers are looking good.

“We’re looking forward to the game, it will be hard but that’s what finals are all about and what we’ve been working for all year.

“We should be really strong and with a bit of commitment and doing the little things we’ll do well.”

Meehan said the match would be won or lost in the midfield.

“We’ll be working on getting that centre break,” he said.

“Once we’ve got it our of there we’ll have far more possession, and we can’t let them control it in the centre.

“If we can keep getting it out of there we should be right.”

Meehan said he would also be concentrating on marking at training, as well as keeping possession and moving the ball around ‘rather than just kicking it and hoping for the best.’

The Saints’ forward pairing of Stewart Walker and Michael Viney would be worthy of special attention, Meehan added.

The TAFL grand final will played in Tamworth on Saturday, September 6.

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