The Alltel Dewar Shield Round 10 Match of the Round will see Power House host top of the table Melbourne Unicorns at Noel Clarke Field on Saturday.
Power House slipped to third place on the Dewar Shield table after losing to Melbourne University last week 43-42 in a nail-biting contest, but will be buoyed by a second half resurgence – coming back from 43-15.
Melbourne Unicorns continued its dominant season with a commanding 42-31 victory over fellow title contenders Harlequins, to notch up a sixth win of the season.
We caught up with both sides before their Round 9 clash to hear their thoughts on their sides preparations and what they believe the opposition will bring game day.
Melbourne Unicorns player Max O’Brien
Congratulations on your Man of the Match performance last week against the Harlequins in only your second match of the season. How have you found the step up into the Dewar Shield this season?
I really enjoyed it. Getting back into rugby first of all after that little break was fantastic. It was great to get back out there. The Dewar Shield standard was definitely higher, a bit faster and more heavy-hitting. The nerves went away after the first five minutes, and I had fun out there. Our First’s and Second’s are a really cohesive unit, so I thoroughly enjoyed it.
How did the team stay ‘Rugby Ready’ throughout the Covid enforced lockdown?
The boys did some work-on’s including kicking, passing, catching and throwing. Our fantastic S&C coach Blake wrote up a really good program of running and home workouts. It was really noticeable in that first conditioning session back that the boys were really fit and firing.
What did the club learn from the close loss to Endeavour Hills at home in R6 and did that drive the group over the covid break?
It certainly drove us. It was an eye-opening experience. We really took a lot from that game. It wasn’t particularly a bad game from us, there was a lot of heart shown from us out there and a couple of things didn’t quite go our way. It was noticeable in our first training session back that the boys were fired up and hungry.
What did the team take away from the strong win against the Harlequins last week?
It was rusty after a few weeks off. Our set-play wasn’t up to scratch where we would like it to be. But there were positives to take out of it and work-on’s we will train this week.
What players have impressed you this season that you have loved running out with?
As a half-back, it’s great having a really talented 10 in there in Mak Stowers. His ability to direct the game and his ball skills is fantastic. Also, our 15 Kiti Ratu, his ability to find holes is fantastic. It’s really handy when you’re on the back foot and he finds a hole and scores one through the post. Finally, our 7, and captain, Maciu is fantastic. He leads the boys so well and his demeanour on the field.. you can’t ask for anything more.
What do you think Power House will bring to the match up this week and where do you think the match will be won and lost?
From seeing them play, they’ve got a couple of strong ball runners in 7 Chris Mounga and 12 Marcus Kaponga. They have got good ball skills in their backs as well. I think if we stick to our game structure, our attacking plan and our defensive plan and effectively put that into action we can be a really dangerous team.
Power House Captain Rian Wisemantel
How did the team stay ‘Rugby Ready’ throughout the Covid enforced lockdown?
We did a lot of exercises through WhatsApp group that kept everyone connected. We did two sessions a week on Zoom. That was just working around what we wanted out of everything coming back to the season. On Saturday, we did a bit of a workout as well. But I think the big thing was that everyone held each other accountable. There were key tasks that we wanted to complete within two weeks and that's what we did.
Power House sits third on the table with a 4-3 record, how do you feel the side has performed so far this season?
I feel like we've performed pretty well. I think, you know, there's definitely a step up which we need to do. Last week showed it. We came in a bit rusty and we think we let that one really slip at the end. We're looking pretty good, but I think there's huge improvement in us and we want to make sure that we're here for the top four.
What did the club takeaway from the close loss to Melbourne Uni last week?
I suppose that for 65 minutes we played horrible football and then for the last 15, we showed what we could really do with it. I think one big thing was the grit. There is true determination down 43-15 to come back to 43-41. It showed that the guys are willing to put in. So that was a good takeaway.
What players have impressed you this season that you have loved running out with?
Chris Maunga is back on number seven. What he does is chop people and runs hard. You love playing with him every game. Our five Cian McGovern from Ireland has a beautiful kicking game, real general in the side and just really leads us around. But I suppose it's just the pack of boys running out every week with them. We've got Jarrod Eberhart who is a senior veteran, Steven Walls and Andrew Blannin. It’s great to play with them and I think everyone's standing up.
What do you think Melbourne Unicorns will bring to the match up this week and who are their danger players?
They’re really quick around the Park. 15 is a huge strike weapon and is quite quick. They play a really good pattern, so they like to exhaust straight away. The one thing as well is that they have some big ball carriers. So, we've got to make sure that we're up defensively in line speed. You know, they've been a real threat this year only dropping one, and that was in the last couple of minutes. They're definitely the benchmark, and we're chomping at the bit to get at him.
The Alltel Dewar Shield Match of the Round will be held at Noel Clarke field, K/O 3:15pm. Tune into Rugby Victoria’s Facebook page from 3pm to catch the live stream of the match.
