Round 14 will see the Coburg Tigers travel to Warrnambool to take part in their second regional home game this year, lining up against the Geelong Cats.
Last weekend presented the Tigers with their first win in six rounds, when they disposed of Collingwood by 26 points.
Coburg coach Adam Potter noted some impressive aspects of their game that attributed to the days success.
“Our ability to win the contested ball allowed us to lock the ball in our forward half for periods of the game. We generated enough scoring shots but we just didn't make the most of our opportunities.
Our defensive group were also sound and won several important contests.”
The Tigers first regional home match brought about quite an unexpected result, with the side going down to Bendigo by a whopping 76 points.
“In regards to our last regional game, while it may have been a surprise, we were clearly beaten by a more committed team who worked harder than we did on transition both offensively and defensively. We took a fair bit away from that game and we have made some improvements.”
Coburg has gone back to the fundamentals of footy in recent weeks to overcome what seemed to be a rough patch in their season.
“I think we have worked on some of the basic foundations of our game over the last two weeks. Our defensive structures have been at a better standard. We will continue to focus on this, as it allowed us to generate scoring opportunities.”
Despite recent controversy, Potter will maintain his focus on the growth and improvement of his entire playing list.
“We want to continue to develop players from both clubs. Brett O'Hanlon, Todd Elton and Matt Dea have all developed parts of their game with us and have been rewarded accordingly. Dave Fahey, Nick Maric, Luke Cartelli and Ossie Uysal have all shown throughout the course of the year that they have developed their individual game and have played some good senior level footy.
“We want to have a similar finish to the year we had last year, we won six of our last ten and we are always striving for continued improvement,” Potter said.
The Geelong Cats advance into Round 14 following two great wins. The Cats disposed of the Northern Blues last week, reducing the side to a mere 21 points the match. Weeks earlier, Geelong knocked off ladder leaders, Port Melbourne in a surprising 21 point victory at Simonds Stadium.
Geelong Captain, Troy Selwood feels that his side is playing the type of footy that will provide them with great results.
“We are beginning to play a real selfless brand of football in the VFL team at the moment, and the boys are beginning to realise that it is making everybody’s job out on the field a whole lot easier. This sort of mentality is building their confidence more than anything – they believe that looking after each other will then lead to overall team success.”
Selwood feels that his side will be well prepared for the environment they will be competing in on Sunday, potentially giving them an edge over Coburg.
“Playing in some boggy conditions at VISY Park last week also gave us a bit of experience at what we might be playing in down at Reid Oval in Warrnambool. The fundamentals to our game will still very much stay the same though.”
The Geelong Cats currently sit sixth on the VFL ladder, with quite a favourable fixture leading towards the end of the season. Selwood understand the level playing field that exists within the league and plans to tackle every match with the same endeavour.
“We look at each team now as if we are preparing to play a Port Melbourne. The VFL competition is extremely even and the look of opposition side can change dramatically on a weekly basis.
“Again we are looking to continue our development of some very promising players but we love doing it in a winning environment. The boys are really enjoying the challenge at moment. Hopefully we can gather some more momentum over the coming weeks,” Troy Selwood said.
Coburg Tigers vs Geelong Cats
Sunday 1st July - 2:00pm
Reid Oval, Warrnambool
Last Modified on 30/06/2012 19:27