The opposing coaches in Saturday’s Sydney Shield 2018 grand final between East Campbelltown Eagles and Guildford Owls agree on at least one thing.
Campbelltown’s Richard Barnes and Guildford’s Todd Mckeown both believe they key to winning big games like grand finals is getting the simple things right.
High completion rates and being switched on in defence are the two factors both coaches pointed to when the South West Voice called them to preview the Sydney Shield premiership decider.
And while Barnes concedes his team, who finished as minor premiers, have put on some uneven performances throughout the season, Todd Mckeown has a different take on it.
[social_quote duplicate=”no” align=”default”]“I’ll be happy to supply pillows if the East Campbelltown boys want to go to sleep at any stage of the grand final,’’ he says.[/social_quote]
But the Owls coach does give the Eagles their due.
“I have just finished the video session and I know it’s going to be a tough game on Saturday,’’ Mckeown said.
“The Eagles are a very good team who play a tough game.
“But we also should be confident, even though we have a lot of young players in our team.
“But as I said the key to winning grand final is getting the little things right, like a high rate of completions,’’ he said.
When the two teams met during the season the Eagles were too good at home winning 42-16 Eagles in round 8 on May 27.
Eagles coach Barnes says the Owls had quite a few players missing that day due to injury.
In the return clash for round 19 on Saturday, August 18 at McCreddie Park, Guildford, the teams played out a 34-34 draw.
The Owls, who finished seventh on the ladder, do have more momentum heading into the grand final.
They beat Cabramatta 30-4 in the first semi final, then accounted for St Marys 34-26, before grinding out a 24-22 victory over Wentworthville to qualify for the grand final.
Minor premiers Eagles lost the first semi final 32-10 to Wenty, before bouncing back to smash Asquith 38-4.
And despite another one of those uneven performances last weekend the Eagles managed to overcome a feisty Moorebank Rams 24-20 to book their place in the grand final, their third in five years.
Asked if complacency may be an issue for his team, Richard Barnes says he doesn’t expect that to be a problem in the grand final.
“But we’ve got to be up for it on Saturday because Guildford are a strong team all over the park, I can’t find a fault anywhere,’’ he says.
Barnes agrees the Eagles will need to put in an 80 minute performance if they want to lift the trophy.
“To win grand finals you need high completion rates and be on in defence,’’ Barnes says.
The premiership decider will be played from 1pm this Saturday, September 22 at Leichhardt Oval.
The Eagles have a supporters’ bus available and for $20 fans will get the return bus trip and entry into the ground.
The bus will pick up from the Bradbury Inn at 11am and leave after the Sydney Shield presentation and return to the Bradbury Inn.
To call for bookings contact Daniel on 0425 335 345.
For those who can’t get to the grand final, it will be streamed live on NSWRL.com.au
