Dubbo Kangaroos second grade co-coach Dean Matthews says he has “nothing but praise and respect” for the Orange Emus heading into this weekend’s Blowes Clothing Cup grand final.
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The Roos and Emus both feature lineups stacked with the kind of talent not usually seen in second grade competitions.
The Roos starting side consists of the likes of Central West representative players John Korff and Anthony Golding, as well as Shaun McHugh, the reigning first grade Player of the Year.
The Emus side also features a number of experienced first grade players and Matthews said his side will have to be at its best and “get the bounce of the ball” to win the decider.
“They play in the wet 90% of the time so their forwards are always strong,” Matthews said of Emus.
“From what I’ve seen their outside centre and captain (Simon Thompson) is a huge player and the first grade centre must be some kind of player to keep him out.
“Same with Keith Howarth, there must be some good blokes keeping them out and we've got nothing but praise and respect for Emus.”
Despite his side bettering Emus 8-3 in the major semi-final at Endeavour, Matthews was keen to play the underdog card and went as far to say home ground advantage in a grand final is worth eight to 12 points.
But he did admit his side has performed well in 2016 and alongside fellow co-coaches Rob Bond and Mark Stanford, Matthews saw the Roos lose just one match on their way to winning the minor premiership and Saturday will be the first second grade decider the club has been in since 2008.
“It’s been a long time since Dubbo made it in second grade but it’s not always easy to win a grand final and I’m sure Emus are thinking the same thing,” Matthews said, before speaking about his side’s success in 2016.
“A lot of it comes down to the other coaches, Rob and Mark, and a lot of the credit goes to the players, they’ve gone out and done it.”
Players like McHugh and Jason Coyle were part of the Roos second grade outfits which lost grand finals in 2007 and 2008 and Matthews admitted a premiership would be a reward for a number of the side’s veterans who have done so much for the club.
And while some of the big name players have starred in second grade this season, Matthews was keen to praise to the likes of Jock Rodgers, Steve Watson, James Cleaver and Angus McGuinness, who have put the hard yards in all season in second grade.
Saturday’s second grade grand final kicks off at 1.30pm at Orange’s Endeavour Oval.
Nick Guthrie
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
