Armidale coach Luke Stephen is viewing their New England clash with St Alberts on Saturday as a litmus test for his rebuilding side.
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The students are undefeated and once again shaping as the benchmark.
The Blues enjoyed first round success but recognise that the premiers will be another step up.
Stephen outlined structure as a big thing for them.
“When you lose as many players as we have, you have to look at who you are as a side and realise your strengths are not the same as they may have been,” he said.
He also spoke about the importance of producing an 80-minute effort. Any lapses and Albies can quickly put three or four tries on you.
“You always know with Albies they’ve got an abundance of very fit, fast players,” Stephen said.
“It’s about controlling the pace of the game to what you’re comfortable with.”
Key to that is holding onto the ball.
“That means controlling the set piece and not pushing the pass,” he said.
