The Windsor Wolves head into Round 10 on top of the Sydney Shield table, while Hills District and East Campbelltown make up second and third spot respectively. There are five other teams just one win away from breaking into the top four - highlighting how tight the competition is.
The Blacktown Workers are one of these teams, and they will take on fourth-placed Peninsula Seagulls at Lake Park this Saturday at 6:30pm.
Both sides have overcome a slow and disrupted start to the season and are now in excellent form heading into Round 10.
The Seagulls have scored 17 tries in their past two games, and Blacktown coach Leon Latulipe says their focus will be on shutting down the key players that have been in the middle of these recent attacking raids.
“Their number seven Willie Bishop, he’s a player who has been quality for them like leading them around the park, he seems to play on both sides of the field which is quite unusual but it seems like he takes control of their team,” Latulipe explains.
“If we shut down their right edge we can definitely cause a lot of problems for them.”
Blacktown lost their first three games of the season, but have not lost a game since. Latulipe credits this to the extra-vigorous preparation that he and the players have been putting into games.
“We’re now taking on a week-by-week approach for preparation, and doing a little bit more with our video analysis and just identifying certain key players that we need to exploit and keep the boys informed as much as possible,” Latulipe states.
He also believes that the team is constantly gaining confidence as they build on their momentum each week with good performances.
“We’re gaining confidence and getting our combinations right, which has definitely been key,” says Latulipe.
A win could see the Workers climb significantly higher on the ladder depending on other results, whilst the Seagulls will be looking for a win to retain their spot in the top four.
In addition to this match, Auburn will take on Mounties, Guildford will host Belrose, Windsor will play Wentworthville, and East Campbelltown will take on Western Suburbs.
