Overlooking an opposition side is always dangerous and that's why Cargo Heelers league tag coach Anthony Regan knows his depleted girls can't take the Bears lightly when they travel to Tony Luchetti Sportsground on Saturday.
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The girls opened their 2020 Wallerawang Landscaping Cup account with a convincing win over the Kandos Tiaratahs and despite being fresh off a round two bye, will leave a host of sick players at home.
"We're going to be a little bit short but that's how it goes this season... if you're sick you don't play," Regan said.
"All the girls are very competitive and want to win but we still need to be a little bit cautious due to our numbers."
If the Mid-West cup released betting lines, there's no doubt Cargo would be extremely short favourites to put together a win on Saturday after the Bears fell 72-0 to CSU at Diggings Oval in round two.
However, that doesn't mean Regan hasn't worked his girls over at training this week as there were a few things that came out of the round one win against Kandos that he didn't like.
"Some of the girls were just trying a little bit too hard," he said. "A lot of the girls haven't played for a long time so we need to focus on doing the basics right. "We've also got some new combinations which is tough and some of the girls need to learn about each other a bit more."
And the combinations will need to be sharp not only tomorrow, but during the following clash in round four as the Heelers will square off with CSU in what's looking like grand-final preview.
The uni girls have been bolstered this season by Bathurst St Pat's players, including the dynamic Meredith Jones who was dominant in the side's last-up destruction of Lithgow.
Coming from the Woodbridge Cup, the Heelers are an unknown commodity to CSU and it's hard to forecast what might happen in that clash.
"The girls are definitely looking forward to that," he said. "A lot of the girls know some of the players who are playing there and they'll be really strong I'd imagine and it will be good to see where we're at."
Defence was another thing the coach was quick to mention as he was pleased with the way the girls scrambled against Kandos and knows it's something they'll need to continue to do well if they want to contend for a title.
"If you can't keep a team's score low, you don't have to score many yourself," he said.
"We're still learning and it's such a short competition. You don't have the time to lay everything out like you would in a normal season so you've got to do the basics well."
The league tag contest will raise the curtains for the men's game as Jared Brodrick's troops will look to move to 2-0 after registering a 28-16 win over Kandos in the opening round of the competition.
According to Regan, the Heelers looked a bit underdone in the opening stages of the clash but peaked when the game was on the line.
"They were very rusty but I was really surprised with how they dominated the second half," he said.
"They're getting some more troops so hopefully more guys will be available." The girls will kick-off at 1.30pm followed by the men's at 2.45pm. Tony Luchetti SportsGround at Lithgow is the destination.
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