The Lake Albert Sharks inflicted a big loss on the Football Wagga premiers as they seek to put their mark on the championship.
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The Sharks hammered Junee’s Jaguars 8-nil last weekend.
It has sent Junee’s coach back to the drawing board as he looks for ways to keep the premiers a chance for the finals. Coach Isaac Cooper said the game was “pretty ordinary”.
Going into the clash, Junee had glaring holes in its playing roster with Travis and Lincoln Weir out. They were also missing Jared Baldry, Nick Jones and Geoff Euhus.
“Injuries have cruelled us, but we can’t really blame that, we got hammered 8-nil,” Cooper said.
“We didn’t have luck, the bounces all went their way, we didn’t stick to our structure and it definitely hurt us.
“We gave them too much space, they have a quality attacking line-up and they put us to the sword.”
The Jaguars filled the gaps with club’s reserve players but the structure used by the team didn’t hold allowing the Sharks to consolidate their advantage.
Cooper said part of the problem was in trying to fill five gaps on the field and it would be a persistent problem with several players still out with injuries.
“(Geoff) Euhus is out for another week, Lincoln (Weir) will be out for four weeks, (Nick) Jones is eight to 12 weeks and (Matt) Carvosso was injured during the Sharks game.”
Junee will play the Tolland Wolves this weekend and Cooper said the Jaguars would not give up.
“We’ll keep fighting in true Junee style.”
Among the bright spots during the game against Lake Albert was captain Adrian Merrigan’s leadership.
“Adrian (Merrigan) led from the front, his work rate was outstanding,” Cooper said.
“Braiden Philipse’s return to the left wing was good, I thought he played well.
“Kurt Tinnock put together some good plays up front and Jay O’Mara was our players’ player.”
There is no doubt in Cooper’s mind about the team’s commitment, or players’ courage.
“The commitment is there, we need to string some solid performances together, we need to train hard, put our heads down and the results will come,” he said.
The challenging run for the Jaguars continues when they face Tolland this weekend and Cooper said players faced a tough time at training as they work to find a way to deliver results.
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Lake Albert 8 d Junee 0
Declan Rurenga
Declan Rurenga was the editor of Griffith's Area News and Leeton's Irrigator until September 2023. Before landing at the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area, he reported news in Junee, Wagga Wagga, Orange and Cootamundra.
Declan Rurenga was the editor of Griffith's Area News and Leeton's Irrigator until September 2023. Before landing at the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area, he reported news in Junee, Wagga Wagga, Orange and Cootamundra.
