Concentration and a little help from your friends.
That's the secret to containing Saints' powerhouse Matt Walsh from dominating a game, according to the man who didn't let him kick a goal whey they last met two weeks ago.
Norths defender Dustin Mills can boast of the rare feat, albeit in a loss to Saints that forced his Tigers into a must-win clash with Port Douglas last week.
They won that easily and now Mills will be reqcquainted with Walsh in what looms as one of the key battles of tomorrow's AFL Cairns decider.
The 31-year-old, who played four seasons in the NEAFL with Labrador, said it was about not giving him an inch and relying on teammmates to pressure Saints' midfield.
"He's a fantastic player and is very fast off the mark with strong hands. Really you just try and make it as difficult for him as possible," Mills said.
"You can't give him any room and you hope your midfield puts theirs under the pump so his delivery isn't as good as it could be."
"But really, I'm probably lucky he hasn't kicked as straight against me as he could have."
Mills has done well to balance a hectic first year as a doctor interning at Cairns Base Hospital along with his footy, but said the chance to run around every Saturday was a stress reliever.
"I found that at med school on the Gold Coast too; it was a godsend because it takes your mind off the stresses fo the day," he said.
"But I'm certainly looking forward to a few weekends off."
Mills was named in Labrador's Team of the Decade earlier this season and his expertise in the Tigers' backline has certainly contributed in their rise to the top of the ladder.
No stranger to the big stage, he said his side probably profited from another finals game last week.
"Quite a few benefited from a second final and we watched both games back again this week, it was like watching two different teams," he said.
He said they could not lapse from the brand of footy on the weekend.
"The way we played last week is the way we want to play in finals,' he said.
And he said if the proposed North Queensland NEAFL side was announced in the off-season he would look to put his hand up.
"There's a few of us that would probably start training and, work permitting, I think I could still play at that level," he said.
Last Modified on 11/10/2013 16:15