They might have fallen short of the silverware at the Acropolis Cup, but South Armidale coach Eamon Hynes is happy with how the Scorpions are shaping up.
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After watching them through the pre-season, the new coach is “very excited” about their Northern Inland Premier League prospects, citing the biggest obstacle for them as belief.
“I don’t think they believe how good they are,” he said.
“We definitely have the ability and definitely have the players.”
He ran a mix of first and reserve graders over the day, and said they used it as a good hit-out for everyone.
“Again it was really about the experience for us,” he said.
That’s not to say he wasn’t disappointed with the 3-1 loss to Tamworth in the final and deciding game.
“We could have been 2-nil up before they scored their first,” Hynes said.
The fact that Tamworth had the pick of players from the three NIPL sides, did temper his disappointment a bit.
The two-goal loss followed wins over Quirindi (3-nil), Kamilaroi (3-1) and Gunnedah (6-3).
“We had some really good moments through the day,” he said.
“It was very promising from my point of view.”
Defender Alex Boulus was a standout performer for them.
“I think he played every minute of every game,” he said.
South Armidale did pick up a couple of injuries, which he said they’ll have to wait and see whether they’ll be right for round one against Demon Knights on April 1.