ORANGE Barbarians captain-coach Jason McClymont is hoping his side can turn around a 1-2 start to the 2014 Centennial Coal Cup competition with an improved showing against premiership powerhouse Lithgow Bears on Saturday.
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The Barbarians went down 28-26 to a defiant CSU Blue last weekend at Max Stewart Oval but, determined to take the positives out of the loss, McClymont believes although patchy his side is showing the sort of form normally reserved for finals contenders.
It’ll all mean nothing, however, if the club’s discipline doesn’t improve.
“If we can work on our discipline and stop handing over the pill we’ll be better,” McClymont said following the round three loss to the students.
“We want to make the semis but at the moment we’ve won one and lost two, so we’ll have to knuckle down and try and grab a place in that top four.”
An arm wrestle contest, the home side kept pace with an enthusiastic CSU before eventually letting the two competition points slip.
“We went try-for-try there for a while, but they were the better side,” McClymont lamented, before praising the work of forwards Wayne Miller and Hena Farrow and the performance of rangy five-eighth Joel Fahy.
“CSU scored all of their points off the back of our dropped ball and penalties. They capitalised on our mistakes and that was the difference at the end of the day.”
Currently sitting fifth, Barbarians’ clash with the undefeated Lithgow this weekend shapes up as an important match for the Orange CCC club.
In other round three results, Wallerawang pipped CCC returners Blackheath 24-20, CSU Yellow remains on top of the ladder following a 52-10 win over Villages and the Bears edged out last year’s premiers Kandos 34-16