Pre-season trial v West Coast preview [Nelson Mail]
Playing Heartland team West Coast might not be the ideal opposition a week out from the ITM Cup opener against Canterbury, but Tasman Makos coach Kieran Keane is confident he'll get what he wants out of it.
The Makos play West Coast at Murchison tomorrow at 1pm, and Keane said all fit members of the squad would get game time in a match being played in three 30-minute periods.
With convincing wins over Canterbury and Otago selections already under their belt, tomorrow's game is little more than an opposed training run, but with places still open for next Friday's game against Canterbury, players will want to impress.
Keane is pleased with how things are progressing.
"The side is coming together well. The boys have been great to work with. They've really gathered around and bonded up really well. Quite a tight unit," he said.
As far as the West Coast game is concerned, Keane said it was "more about getting a real good look at our systems on attack and defence. Looking for an improvement in both those areas. Accuracy is a bit of an issue".
West Coast were the only side the Makos could get for opposition at this stage, and although Keane expects the Heartland side might be a little gun-shy, he's hoping the game will sort out the remaining selection puzzles.
"Some positions are firmly cemented but others aren't. It's about who works best with who and what balance we want. We've got quite a bit to work on."
MAKOS SQUAD
Peter Betham, Mitchell Scott, Kieron Fonotia, Andrew Goodman (cpt), James Lowe, Robbie Malneek, Bryce Heem, Hayden Cripps, Jeremy Sua, Steve Alfeld, Vernon Fredericks, Jordan Taufua, Tevita Cavubati, Joe Wheeler, Filipo Levi, Riki Hoeata, Shane Christie, Campbell Johnstone, Sam Prattley, Tim Perry, Quentin MacDonald, Francis Smith. Liam Squire, Gary Redmond and Tom Marshall are unavailable to play because of injury.
