There’s an old saying sport that a champion team is better than a team of champions.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Dubbo Demons may have some outstanding players in its ranks but if the side is to be a genuine title force in Central West AFL they need to work together as a side.
It’s not through disharmony or attitude the side isn’t working together, it’s something far more simple and something every team, no matter what sport, must deal with.
“A lot of the boys can’t get to training and that’s where we’re lacking,” leading Demon Jono Naden said.
“We do well individually but as a unit we’re not putting together those combinations.
“(Head coach) Will Bunt wanted us to play short and sharp last week but we hadn’t been able to work on that as a core group consistently at training.”
The Demons were brushed aside by the Orange Tigers last round and a week after that 63-point loss the Dubbo side travels to Bathurst to take on the Bushrangers Outlaws.
The Outlaws, like the Demons, have won two and lost one so far this season, but head into Saturday’s match on the back of a convincing 80-point win over the Bathurst Giants last weekend.
“We’ve got to try and stick to our gameplan,” Naden said of the weekend’s game.
‘We’ve got to try and play our game. Obviously Bathurst are a really strong side but I think we need to play our game and take it quarter by quarter and just work as a unit.”
Naden added a strong start would be a long way to boosting the Demons’ chances in the match.
But making that more difficult, on top of the less than ideal preparation, is the fact the Dubbo side will head to George Park Oval 2 minus a host of regulars.
The likes of Bailey Delaney, Brendan Garlett, Tom Skinner and Mick Daly are among the absentees due to injury or other commitments, but Naden, Ben Madigan and Sam Reichstein remain as two of the experienced heads.
“It will come down to how well we start,” Naden said.
“That will be the driving force behind how well we’ll play this weekend.
“If we don’t come firing and prepared then I guess Bathurst will get away from us but if we’re prepared then we’re a possibility of getting a win.”
Prior to the Demons’ loss to the Tigers last week the side had recorded wins over the Cowra Blues and Bathurst Giants.
When the Demons and Outlaws met on two occasions last season it was the Bathurst side who won on both occasions.
A 28-point win early in the season as followed by a 62-point victory in the reverse fixture later in the year.
First bounce in Saturday’s round four match between the Demons and Outlaws is at 2.30pm.
Nick Guthrie
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
