SOUTHS may have secured third place on the men’s Premier League Hockey ladder but for coach Ray Winwood-Smith that’s no excuse for his team to sit back and take it easy.
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The two blues travel to Lithgow this Saturday to play Zig Zag then, regardless of the result, will welcome their opponents to Bathurst the following weekend for the minor semi-final.
The match could be seen as an opportunity to rest players but Winwood-Smith said it’s vital his team treat this Saturday’s match like a sudden death encounter.
“We’re treating this like a dress rehearsal for the following weekend’s game,” he said.
“We know it’s a dead rubber but it’s important for us to keep up the momentum going into the finals. This gives us an opportunity to play the game we want to and see if there’s any changes we need to make for the following week.
“We’re not going to be complacent. We’re going in at full strength. We could have rested players but I think it’s important we don’t do that.”
Souths and Zig Zag have met just the once this season, resulting in a big 6-0 success for the Bathurst side.
“Zig Zag are probably the fittest team in the competition, are tough and play a very physical game,” Winwood-Smith said.
“Playing over there makes it a challenge too. We’ve got to play to our plan and make sure that we don’t let them use their strengths to their advantage.
“You don’t know what sort of team their going to put together. You have to go in expecting their best.”
