THE Kootingal-Moonbi Roosters will be looking to begin their Group 4 season in winning style when they play host to the Dungowan Cowboys on Saturday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Last season, the Roosters were knocked out in the preliminary final and will be looking to atone for the finals disappointment.
Roosters coach Geoff Sharpe said his side was "raring to go".
"I've missed our two trial matches but I know we've been working pretty hard since that second trial match," Sharpe told the Leader.
"We are probably not quite as well prepared as we were this time last year, but we have been working really hard on the training track.
"There has been a fair bit of improvement and I reckon our club is really keen to get into it."
Read Also:
The season-opening clash will see the two local rivals contest the coveted Pepperell Shield.
"The Pepperell Shield was something everyone really used to cherish when it was a round-robin tournament," Sharpe said.
"However, we lost a bit of that when a few of those reserve grade clubs moved to first grade, but given Dungowan is our local rival it is back in a big way."
The Roosters have named a strong line up for Saturday's clash, including props Chris Vidler and Kyle Cochrane.
"I'd say Chris Vidler has trained the house down during the pre-season," Sharpe said.
"He along with Will Saunders are two of a number of our guys who have really impressed during the pre-season.
"It's been really great to see so many of our guys train really hard during the pre-season."
Sharpe said he was "not underestimating Dungowan in any way" ahead of Saturday's clash.
"They have got some really talented players such as Brad Jarett, Matt Wilson and Shaun Ferguson," he said.
"I'm sure they have had a pretty strong pre-season and will be up for the contest on Saturday.
"For us, we will be working really hard on our kick and chasing work, as well as our pressure when we don't have the ball.
"We've had 35 players on the training track both nights this week so that will be a focus for both our first and reserve grade sides this weekend."
Billy Jupp
Billy is a Senior Livestock Journalist for the Queensland Country Life based in Toowoomba. He has worked for a variety of different ACM mastheads during the past five years including the Namoi Valley Independent, Northern Daily Leader and The Land.
Billy is a Senior Livestock Journalist for the Queensland Country Life based in Toowoomba. He has worked for a variety of different ACM mastheads during the past five years including the Namoi Valley Independent, Northern Daily Leader and The Land.
