INVERELL are bracing to feel the force of Walcha’s frustrations when they clash at Walcha today.
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The Rams let the chance to play in the top tier slip through their fingers when they let a six-point lead slip against Tamworth last week.
“They’ll be like an angry hornets’ nest coming off that loss to the Magpies,” Highlanders president Peter Davidson said.
“They’re tough to beat at home at the best of times.”
In saying that, Davidson was confident they can do the job and will head to Walcha buoyant after giving the Red Devils a scare last week.
It was 17-all midway through the second half and the game could have gone either way.
“We thought we were pretty well in it up until then,” Davidson said.
Just a few injuries and simple errors hurt them in the latter part of the game.
“But it was a much better performance for three-quarters of the second half than against Quirindi the week before,” he said.
The Rams got the points last time they met but there wasn’t a lot in it.
“We got off to a pretty good start,” Davidson recalled.
They were pressing early and had a try disallowed for a forward pass.
“Then we switched off,” he said.
“In the second half Walcha played a different game.
“Walcha were very good at slowing our ball down.”
And they really struggled to get any penetration through the backs.
With the backline settled now and firing pretty well, Davidson said they feel can correct that.
The key will be getting ascendancy at the breakdown.
Skipper Chad Makim and Tala Vea are named to return and will slip back into the backrow but they will be without five-eighth Scott Houston.
He broke his thumb against the Red Devils.
Hunter Barnett will move in one to fill his shoes.
In the other Tier 2 game today, Barraba is at home to Scone.