They might be sitting in the bottom two spots on the Group 19 ladder but local rivals Armidale Rams and Narwan Eels are set to lift when they go head-to-head for round six.
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After winning their second round game against Tingha, Armidale have suffered consecutive losses and have struggled to field a full 17 every week.
Coach Steve Ware said he is expecting a few players back and for his side to be in for a hard-fought local battle.
“My plan for the boys this weekend was to be disciplined, stay in the grind for the first 15-20 minutes,” he said.
“As long as we are respecting the footy and not getting intimidated by them, and if we are playing good, hard football against them we should be fine.
“They have had a game called off in Uralla and they lost against Tingha last week so they would be looking to get their season on track but we will be trying to stop them.”
While they have been down on the scoreboard and in troops, Ware believes his team have what it takes to give others a run for their money.
“I think just trying to get a healthy 17 out on the paddock and staying consistent is probably the hardest thing for our footy team at the moment,” he said.
“We are competing with teams but if we have the full complement and blokes on the same page, we will go a long way with playing finals footy, but at the moment we are not looking like that.
“We will get there in the end but I just don't want it to leave too late.”
Narwan have their sights firmly set on making it into the winner’s circle for the first time this year after four losses.
They missed out on their round two game and had the bye in round three before losses to Moree Boars and Tingha in their recent two outings.
President Jay Roberts said they should be close to putting their strongest side on the park against Armidale but isn’t the Rams to go down without a fight.
“The last couple of weeks we just haven't been there - we have had players away or players injured and we might finally have a full team this weekend to take on the Rams,” he said.
“I certainly believe it is not going to be as easy as it has been in the past to beat the Rams. They might have been toweled in the last couple of weeks but they always turn up against us.
“They are a much better defending side this year and I think they are really going to turn up on Saturday so it should be a good day.
“Every other club in Group 19 knows it is going to be a five-year plan with them but they are always getting better, that is what I have noticed.”