THE Tamworth Swans will be looking to cement a place inside the top four with a win over the New England Nomads at Bellevue Oval on Saturday.
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Having won just two games so far this season, the Swans sit ahead of the Tamworth Kangaroos on percentage and a win could see them extend the gap.
Swans coach Paul Kelly said the game was "a must win" for his side.
"A win would hopefully relieve a little bit of pressure for us," Kelly said.
"As well as that, a win would be really good for the boys confidence and would show them that they are capable of beating the teams above them on the ladder."
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Saturday's game will mark the first time the Swans have taken the field since June 29, after having two-consecutive byes.
"The boys are feeling pretty fresh with those couple of weeks off," Kelly said.
"We should be taking a near-full strength side up there and all of the boys are really keen.
"We haven't won up there for a long time, so hopefully we can get the job done on Saturday."
Last time the two sides met, the Nomads got the better of the Swans, thanks to a last quarter push from midfielders Angus Quail and David Richards.
"There was a lot of lessons for us to take out of that 12-point loss," Kelly said.
"Without giving too much away, we will really be working on shutting the game down when we need to.
"A smaller ground probably suits us in that respect, so playing on a bigger ground up in Armidale might be a bit of a challenge."
Kelly said he was confident the form of key players Liam Dunn and Ed George would help the side match it with the Nomads.
"We really missed Dunny [Liam Dunn] against Inverell a few weeks ago," he said.
"He was probably our best against Gunnedah in our last game and I think Ed is getting better every week.
"Hopefully, we can get a win and build some momentum."
In the round's other action, the Inverell Saints will play host to the Tamworth Kangaroos at Varley Oval.
Meanwhile, the Swans' women's team will also take on the Nomads while the Kangaroos women's team will battle it out with the Saints in 2018 grand final rematch.
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.
