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RSL-COLTS' Jason Ryan admits his side must be wary of an in-form Rugby as the two rivals meet in today's Danny Bower Cup clash.
The annual match between the two sides is played in memory of Danny Bower, father of Rugby star Mitch, and the chance to claim the Cup will add a bit more incentive to an already hugely important match.
Colts need to win today's one-day match at Lady Cutler 2 in order to keep the pressure on Whitney Cup leaders Newtown while Rugby are looking to keep a hold of third spot.
The defending premiers have Macquarie on their tails and Ryan said his side is expecting a real challenge today.
"They were struggling a bit before Christmas but they're getting back on top of their form now so it's going to be a tough match and an important one for us too, we want to keep up with Newtown," he said, before speaking about what makes the Danny Bower Cup special.
"It's a good little rivalry we've got but the two clubs get along really well with a few of the older blokes in both clubs having a lot of cricket against each other so it's always competitive but we always sit down and have a couple of beers together afterwards."
Colts impressed last round as they recorded an emphatic win against Macquarie.
After bowling the Blues out for 123 they then piled on 6-303 with Chris Morton and Paul Hulthen's 154-run partnership the highlight.
"Paul has been scoring runs all season and Greg (Buckley) hasn't missed out too many times either so with blokes like myself and 'Sticks' (Morton) scoring a few it's good and could be really important to have four or five blokes in form," Ryan said.
Ryan singled out Ben Taylor as the main threat his side's batsmen will face with the left-arm quick in top form in recent weeks.
Former Whitney Cup winning Colts players Jacob Bruce will also feature with the ball as will Blake Watmore, Zac Murphy and spinner Bower but Ryan admits Taylor is their standout.
"He's bowled really well since he went away to the SCG Cup in Wollongong around Christmas," he said of Taylor.
"He bowled well there and he always lifts against us so he'll be their spearhead and 'Brucey' will be there and he'll have a bit of a point to prove as well."
With the match being played on the batsman friendly conditions at Lady Cutler there is the chance of some huge scores today.
The Colts batsmen come into the match in good form while Rugby's batting lineup is stacked with talent.
The likes of Bower, Jordan Moran, Nathan Munro and Aidan Bennewith will be vital to Rugby's chances today and Ryan confessed a lot will come down to how Colts' Tim Cox bowls with the new ball.
"At Lady Cutler if you miss out on your bowling a bit then you're going to be chasing a bit so it will be crucial for 'Coxy' to start us off well and then the spinners can contain them through the middle," he said.
Today's Whitney Cup matches begin at 1pm.