Improved Hawks embracing Bungendore challenge
The Harden Hawks will be wary of a repeat effort when hosting the Bungendore Tigers in Round Eight of the Blumers Lawyers George Tooke Shield at McLean Oval on Saturday.
Playing at Mick Sherd Oval back in Round One, the Hawks ran into an impressive Tigers outfit that put on an unanswered 50 points to score one of the most stunning opening-round results in recent seasons.
Despite their slow start to the campaign, which included a victory via forfeit over the UC Stars and an 18-14 loss to Cootamundra in Round Three, Harden has found their groove, winning four games on the trot to sit in fourth position on the competition ladder.
Still, the Hawks won’t be bullish when the Tigers visit, with coach Nick Hall insisting that his side is aware of the challenge ahead.
“We’re conscious of what happened last time and what lies ahead of us if we’re not concentrating,” Hall said.
“When we played them in Round One, they were ready, and we weren’t; a big part of that is preparation.
“As I’ve said before, there is no such thing as beast mode, and you can’t just show up and play your best footy, and they were trained, and we weren’t, and that showed when they put 50 points on us.
“We hadn’t done the work as a group and got what we deserved, but we learned from it, and I feel we’re a different team now.”
The Hawks have since scrapped and fought to four straight wins, highlighted by a tenacious 14-10 victory over Binalong in Round Seven.
Hall was happy to see his side finding ways to win as they built toward the second half of the competition.
“I’m definitely happy where we are, especially after how we were travelling after Round Three,” Hall said.
“We had that big loss to Bungendore and then lost to Coota and I thought we should have won that, but after the Coota game, we had two losses and a forfeit.
“At that point, if you were to dangle four wins in front of me, I would have said, ‘Thank you very much’.
Hall is confident his side has what it takes to beat the Tigers, and he believes it will come down to the Hawks playing to their strengths.
“We’re playing well, and we’re improving week to week, and the thing about Harden is that if we show up, we’re a team that sides don’t like to play,” Hall said.
“When teams lose to us, they’ll ask themselves, ‘How did they beat us?’ but when we have momentum, we’re hard to play against.
“We don’t always play typical set-for-set sequenced footy, and we like to throw it around and make things happen and that will be our goal against Bungendore.”
With Hall at the Helm, the Hawks haven’t beaten the Tigers in recent seasons, and their coach has a lot of respect for the Jack Bramley-coached Bungendore outfit.
“Now we have played everyone, I don’t think there is another side comparable to them,” Hall said.
“If you get them on the right day, and perhaps Binalong did when they beat them, anything is possible; they are a side that shows up and is hard to beat.
“They’re the standout side, and we’re expecting another tough game on Saturday.”
With the second half of the GTS competition kicking off on Saturday, there is plenty of interest in Round Eight games.
Binalong will look to end a two-game losing streak at home when facing the struggling Crookwell Green Devils at Binalong Recreation Oval.
Reigning premiers, Boorowa can remain in the top five and put some space between them and the chasing pack when hosting the North Canberra Bears at Boorowa Showground.
The UC Stars face a tough trip to Cootamundra’s Les Boyd Oval when taking on the high-flying Bulldogs.
Click here for the Blumers Lawyers George Tooke Shield ladders, draws, and results.
