WALCHA is bracing for a torrid physical battle when they host Inverell in the second elimination final on Sunday.
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The Highlanders have hit some good form, and after knocking off Moree almost rolled defending premiers Narrabri last round, and will be tough to overcome.
“We've beaten them twice but there's no way we'll be taking them lightly,” Rams coach Barry Hoy said.
He noted that they are a “very physical side” and pointed to winning the physical battle as one of the keys.
Part of that will be not letting their forwards get a roll on, as they did Pirates last week.
“We can't let them run,” he said.
“We've got to get up and meet them.”
They learnt a lot of lessons from Pirates, and will also need to control the ball a bit better than last week.
After toying with skipper and star back Simon Newton at breakaway in a couple of games to plug a hole and provide a bit of size, Hoy has opted to keep him there for Sunday.
“It is a bit of a catch 22. (But) He played there against Moree and it worked pretty well,” he said.
It has been the Rams’ best season for a few years and Hoy said the players are pretty excited about the opportunity in front of them with the winner to play either Moree or Quirindi next Sunday.
“They've worked hard all season to get here,” he said.
