The Falcons are not letting the loss to the Stingers in Round 7 linger as they prepare for the Cyril Connell Cup state final this Sunday.
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Coach Sam Mawhinney said that although the loss was fresh in their minds, they will use that feeling as motivation to grab the opportunity to turn it around this time around.
“We are going to be ready for them this time. We need to play every play and have more urgency,” Mawhinney said.
“I think it this is going to be a really good game considering how close the last game was.
“Everyone has done their job; not just the players that play every week to get us to where we are now.
“The competition is that good that you can’t just invite the opposition back into the game, you have to play well and complete each set to win.
“Our leaders Tyson Smoothy, Braydon Trindall and our captain Connor Luhan have definitely been the stand outs to get the boys motivated on the field.”
With this Falcons squad being the first to make it to the grand final of a state junior competition, the Sunshine Coast is definitely getting excited for the final.
“It is pretty exciting feeling, but with the feeling comes a responsibility about having a good game and getting the win,” Mawhinney said.
“It is a great feeling up here, there have been so many messages of support and it is good to know everyone is behind us.”
Stingers halfback Jack Nosworthy kicked his team to victory over the Souths Logan Magpies 17-16 with a field goal in the final minutes to secure their spot in the decider and the whole team will be hoping for one more win this weekend.
In a nail-biting semi-final, the Stingers team stood strong together to make sure they had a place in the grand final to the delight of coach Allan Petersen.
“All the boys stepped up, particularly our forwards Enemarki Shibasaki, Brayden Hall, Jaidyn McCall and captain Jack Althaus,” Petersen said.
“It was a tough one for us to get through, we had a few injuries and there was no replacements on the bench but our forwards played those extra minutes to get us through.”
Having faltered at the final hurdle in this age group last year, the Stingers have their eye on the prize and are going to be well-prepared for the Falcons this weekend.
“They are definitely a smart team also well coached and they have proved that with their win over the Gold Coast,” Petersen said.
“We going to be ready for them this weekend, making sure we hold the ball, get out kicks right, complete our sets, communicate and work together as a team.”
Cyril Connell Cup State Final – Under 16 teams
Sunshine Coast Falcons v Townsville Stingers at Tapout Energy Stadium on Sunday, May 3 - 10am
Sunshine Coast Falcons: 1. Luke Murtagh 2. Jack Wright 3. Kyle Waller 4. Jarrod Zadow 5. Jye Johnson 6. Lachlan Langton 7. Braydon Trindall 8. Carlos Swasbrook-Murray 9. Tyson Smoothy 10. Connor Luhan (c) 11. Callum McClay 12. Steven Borg 13. Chris Monteleone 14. Mateus Chankay 15. Matt Moessinger 16. Rowan Jardine 17. Mati McDermott 18. Harrison Murphy 19. Cameron Saunders 20. Troy Evans 21. Brydon Crouch 22. Connor Jackson 23. Creed Bowie 24. Quentin Bligh
Coach: Sam Mawhinney
Townsville Stingers: 1. Regan Baker 2. Caleb Souter 3. Jamaine Gillin 4. Tom Kenny 5. Thomas McCragh 6. Jackson Wyles 7. Jack Nosworthy 8. Jack Althaus (c) 9. Enemarki Shibasaki 10. Jaidyn McCall 11. Brendan Skinner 12. Nathan Barrett 13. Brayden Hall 14. Josh Williams 15. Kurt Schultz 16. Tyrone Chan 17. Ethan James
Coach: Allan Petersen
