CSU make a trip to take on Dubbo Rhinos this Saturday as the students look to learn from their round one mistakes.
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One the students’ best opportunities to grab a win this Blowes Clothing Cup season came against the Rhinos back in the second match of the year but an inconsistent performance saw CSU walk away 25-13 losers at University Oval.
Now they get the chance to right their wrongs.
CSU coach Scott Hatch assess the Rhinos loss as a game his team “didn’t commit” to back in April.
With plenty more matches under their belts Hatch is hoping his team are able to stick to the game plan this time.
“Obviously both teams are in a similar position so we’re really hoping to have a good game here,” he said.
“Last time it was mainly a structure thing for us. We started to lose our way in that game.
“That was back in round two though and we’ve come a long way since then. We’ve made some tweaks and improvements to our structure in that time.”
CSU went down to local rivals Bathurst Bulldogs last round by 66 points.
The heavy loss wasn’t 80 minutes of bad news for the underdogs, who enjoyed a strong start to the match.
“Rhinos are a physical team who have their share of strong forwards and backs, who we must shut down,” Hatch said.
For us it’s all about striking a balance. We want to throw the ball around but at the same time we don’t want to be playing a predictable game.
- Scott Hatch
“We’re coming off a match against Bulldogs who control the ball well and play a methodical game. We have to learn a lot from their game.
“Bulldogs aren’t a team who give you many opportunities but Rhinos are one. Rhinos will do that because they tend to play the more expansive game. We have to make sure that we’re making the most of it when those opportunities come by.
“For us it’s all about striking a balance. We want to throw the ball around but at the same time we don’t want to be playing a predictable game. We still want to be bringing the ball forward and assessing our options.”
The trip will be made tougher for the students since they are currently in holiday period. It leaves several players absent for the match.
“We’ve got some players away but thankfully our halfback is back, Ben Reading-Thompson. Lachie Robinson has been killing it this year and he’s been excellent at training,” Hatch said.
The match at Caltex Oval starts 3.15pm.