ARMIDALE has heeded Guyra’s warning and is on alert heading into their clash in Glen Innes tomorrow.
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The two sides met only last week and the Ghosts’ performance has given the competition leaders some food for thought.
They were certainly a very different side to the one they encountered back in May.
“Guyra have recruited pretty well,” Blues co-coach Alan Jones said. “They were quite effective around the park and in the set pieces.”
The Blues got the points 32-19 but didn’t find it easy.
“They out-enthused us in a lot of areas last Saturday,” Jones said.
“They just dropped the ball at crucial times to let us off the hook.”
He went as far as to say that the Ghosts lost it rather than they actually won it, and is expecting a tough encounter.
“We’ll have to play very well to get on top,” he said.
“If they get their noses in front they’ll up the ante.”
“After last week, they’ll think they can get our measure.”
They’ll particularly be wary of the Ghosts in the red zone. That was one of the lessons they took out of last week.
“We learnt we really need to be on high alert when they’re attacking in our 22,” Jones said.
“They’ve got a tight structure and their big centres run the ball quite hard. One missed tackle and they’re through.”
He mentioned several areas they need to improve.
Among them is their work at the breakdown. The Ghosts were very aggressive at the breakdown.
Their defensive lineout was also “pretty ordinary”.
He’ll also be looking for a bit more intensity in everything they do.
The Ghosts are fired up for the return bout and believe that they can roll the Blues.
“They’re not impossible to beat,” Ghosts coach Don Carruthers said.
They know what they’ve got to do.
One of the things Carruthers will be looking for is a bit more impact in the rucks and mauls.
“We showed we can do that against Robb,” Carruthers said.
Student rivals Robb and St Albert’s will clash in the other game.