TENTERFIELD Tigers are ready to seal the minor premiership after annihilating Stanthorpe-Texas at home on Saturday.
The visitors managed to snag an early lead with 10 points awarded within the first 10 minutes of the match.
The points conceded were enough to kick the home side into gear who piled on 102 unanswered points.
The big win puts the Tigers in front of Inglewood on the Border Rugby League ladder with a 28 point buffer on differential.
Coach Chris Battersby said the side has one more hurdle this weekend when they face Killarney in their final regular round match before they can celebrate hosting the major semi-final.
"We would have to have a shocker on the weekend to lose it,” he said.
"They will be hard at home.
"They have a lot more players and are better quality.
"They don't travel really well.
"You don't know what you are going to get but they will be hard.
"We will just have to win well and make sure we seal the minor premiership.”
The Tigers have enjoyed a successful season so far and Battersby said the side has seen the improvement because of players turning up each week for training.
"We have a pretty good side,” he said.
"We got a lot of good players back this year to town and they are all local guys and they can turn up to training.
"We are not relying on guys from out of town.”
While the team are tipped to get the win this weekend, Battersby believes there are areas in the Tigers’ game which have let them down this year.
He said they will aim to clean up those areas in this match and leading into the finals.
"We seem to be leaking a few points,” he said.
"Defence sometimes lets us down a little bit.
"Just being patient and not rushing plays.
“A little bit of discipline [is needed] as well.
"We tend to give away a few penalties.”
If they manage to overcome Killarney this weekend, the Tigers will be one step closer to the grand final with the semi-final clash to be played at their home ground.
"It means we get the major semi-final at home which has been our goal for the year,” Battersby said.
"The winner of that game goes straight through to the grand final so it will make it a lot easier.”
Ellen Dunger
Originally from the Blue Mountains, I spent my teenage years in the Riverina at boarding school before moving to Bathurst in 2012 to complete Bachelor of Sport Studies/ Bachelor of Communications (journalism) at Charles Sturt University. I started my career at The Blayney Chronicle in May 2015 and worked casually, one day a week at the Central Western Daily later on that year. I moved to Armidale in March 2016 to take on the role as the Northern Tablelands' sports journalist. Played a variety of sports in my lifetime including touch football, league tag, gymnastics, dance, cross country running and equestrian. Always happy to hear news and tips. www.facebook.com/ellendungerjournalist/
Originally from the Blue Mountains, I spent my teenage years in the Riverina at boarding school before moving to Bathurst in 2012 to complete Bachelor of Sport Studies/ Bachelor of Communications (journalism) at Charles Sturt University. I started my career at The Blayney Chronicle in May 2015 and worked casually, one day a week at the Central Western Daily later on that year. I moved to Armidale in March 2016 to take on the role as the Northern Tablelands' sports journalist. Played a variety of sports in my lifetime including touch football, league tag, gymnastics, dance, cross country running and equestrian. Always happy to hear news and tips. www.facebook.com/ellendungerjournalist/
