SG Ball side one game from Premiership gloryThe Canberra Raiders will be looking to win their first SG Ball title since 2005 when they take on the Balmain Tigers in the under 18s Grand Final at the St Mary’s League Club Stadium this Saturday afternoon.
To see updated draw please Click HereThe Green Machine qualified for the big one in dramatic circumstances last week after halfback Anthony Milford kicked an extra time field goal that bounced off both uprights and the cross bar before going through to give the Raiders a 33-32 victory over the Sydney Roosters.
What made the victory even more remarkable was that Raiders were down 24-6 at half time. Raiders’ coach Peter Marrapodi suspected that the week’s break his side earned after their win in the first qualifying final was the reason behind the slow start.
“We were a little bit flat coming out and we weren’t focused on what we were trying to achieve which meant that we just didn’t play well,” Marrapodi said “Defensively our attitude wasn’t anywhere near where it has been in previous weeks.”
However, the Raiders came out firing in the second half controlling the ball well, going through their set structures and playing simple, effective football that tired out their opposition and ultimately enabled the Green Machine to get back into the game.
“They (The Roosters) were a big team, we needed to wear them down and take some fuel out of them,” Marrapodi said “We held onto the ball and made them make a lot of tackles… and in the last 10 minutes they just couldn’t keep up with us.”
The Raiders smashed Balmain 40-8 in their last encounter almost three weeks ago, however, Marrapodi has told his boys that the Grand Final is a completely different game and that they cannot come into this weekend’s match overly confident.
“Hopefully that last game is playing more on their (Balmain’s) mind a bit more than ours, we’ve just got to focus on what we’re doing on at training and get that right.
“If there’s any kind of complacency creeping into our team we’ll just show the boys the first half of the game against the Roosters.”
Marrapodi has said his team has not been deviating from its usual training regime in the lead up to Saturday, however, he said that this week he’s been emphasizing to his troops the important role good mental preparation plays in big game situations.
“We’ve just be talking about what teams that win grand finals do and what teams that lose grand finals …we’ve also been looking at things like composure.
“The message I give to boys this age is that it (the Grand Final) is just another game, it’s a very important game but it’s still just another game, which means you still needs to do all the simple things that win you any game of footy.”
According to prop Jeremy Cropper dedication at training and strong team work are the main reasons the Raiders have made it to the last game of the season.
“We’ve all been working really hard this year,” Cropper said “We put in really hard in the pre-season with our fitness and trained really well during the competition… we’ve got a really good bunch of boys , our communication has been really good and now we’re reaping the rewards.”
The Grand Final kicks off 3pm and Marrapodi is encouraging all Raiders fans to make the trip to St Mary’s and attend the game.
“It would be great to get some support there; I know the boys would really appreciate it… If they (the fans) want to see good exciting football from some young talent that’ll be playing NRL one day then should come along”
Source: Raiders
Topic: Raiders One Game Away From Premiership Glory
