https://www.dailymercury.com.au/news/round-one-young-gun-wins-five-eighth-race/3664004/ RUGBY LEAGUE: After displaying fortified intent in their trial match against the Townsville Blackhawks, the Cutters are gearing up for a good test this weekend. Round one of the Intrust Super Cup commences on Saturday, with the boys from the Sugar City travelling to meet Easts Tigers in Brisbane. Plenty of positives have been taken from their narrow loss at BBPrint Stadium, and head coach Steve Sheppard is confident they can only get better from here on. Sheppard was impressed by the attitude and defence of his side across the board; however, he said it was crucial they won the key moments - particularly at the start of each half. "I thought our intensity lifted last week. I think we need to go up another gear but expect us to go out firing,” Sheppard said. "We've still got a little bit to go with our match fitness because we missed a bit of time, but I think it certainly improved from the first week. "I thought the speed of the game in that trial right at the start was right up there. A couple of our boys got caught off guard, but once they found their feet after a few minutes they were fine.” Young half Jack Hickson has won the race for the five-eighth jersey, after impressing throughout the pre-season with his work ethic.
The 22-year-old garnered Sheppard's praise for his kicking game, speed and courage at the line, the coach applauding his lack of fear putting his body in front of the opposition. After toying with the idea of moving Yamba Bowie into the halves, an impressive showing by Hickson against the Blackhawks has Sheppard excited for the potential of his pairing with captain Cooper Bambling. The Cutters will also welcome their Cowboys allocated players, including Carlin Anderson, Emry Pere and Reuben Cotter. The retention of Cotter has proven to be pivotal, given the absence of vice-captain Jayden Hodges to suspension. Hodges was pinged for a lifting tackle late in their final fixture last season, depriving the side of the former Cowboys' flair and experience around the ruck. However, Sheppard is confident he has the troops to cover the loss. "It's very unfortunate because he's going really good and we're going to miss him dearly this week,” Sheppard said. "But I have no doubt the two boys who will be there - Reuben Cotter and Kellen Jenner - will do an admirable job filling in for him.” Sheppard is also excited about the strength of the Cutters forward pack, with Ross Bella and Pere forming a formidable front row pairing. While there are still improvements to be made, he said they were on track in 2019. "I'm quite happy with where we're at. I was happy with our progression from trial one to trial two but we now need to progress to round one,” Sheppard said. "It has always been our focus, we haven't got ahead of ourselves and we're not looking too far behind either. We just want to make sure we're improving every week.”
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November 2019
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