By PETER ROWE
Time is running out for some clubs as we enter the home straight of the NRLWA Fuel to Go & Play Premiership regular season and this weekend’s Round 14 draw sees some intriguing matchups.
Joondalup Giants, Ellenbrook Rabbitohs and the Rockingham Sharks will all want to bounce back from defeats in Round 13. As the Kalamunda Bulldogs and the North Beach Sea Eagles will be looking to add to their impressive recent wins.
Meanwhile ladder leaders Willagee Bears return from the bye, ready to resume their season, that has seen them lose just once.
The Bears travel to Kalamunda without skipper Kainoa Gudgeon, who could be out for some weeks after fracturing an eye socket in the loss to South Perth in Round 12 and will also be without gun winger Manfred Kelly and halfback Matt Lansdown.
Young fullback Iziah Lolohea is still overseas so will not feature.
Coach Nelson Davis has plenty of options though with a strong squad to pick from. Tamaho Tierney and Kelvin Coleman will step into the halves, reuniting for the first time since their grand final appearance last September.
“Kainoa has a minor fracture of the eye socket, so we’re hoping to get him back before the end of the season,” Davis said.
“Manfred and Matty are away on family business but I’m blessed with some depth and quality in our squad.”
Davis said there had been some soul searching and a reset following their defeat at the hands of South Perth. “A lesson learnt,” he said.
“We maybe got a bit too comfortable in recent weeks, so we peeled it back and we go again. We’re in a good spot.”
Davis knows Kalamunda will be no easy game, especially after their big win over Kalamunda last week.
“Their confidence will be high. They are a dangerous side and I believe they have a new fullback who is worth watching,” the coach added.
Because of the reshuffle Davis won’t name his side until Friday.
Bulldogs coach Duane Gwiazdzinski was delighted with the way his side performed last weekend against Kwinana and wants to see the same effort this Saturday.
“They (Willagee) touched us up when we met earlier in the season so the boys would love to redeem themselves, but they are a very good side and even without a few key players can hurt you,” Gwiazdzinski said.
“It’s challenge, but we will be up for it. We are starting to put together some consistency.”
Gwiazdzinski wiłl name the same starting 13 from last weekend with maybe a couple of bench changes.
New fullback Elijah Joe, who scored five tries on his debut last week will be looking to add more, the 21-year-old having arrived in WA from Queensland last month.
On the northern beaches the Sea Eagles will host South Perth, who were comfortable winners over the Bunnies last weekend.
Beach coach Marty Collis has seen his new side develop over the course of the season, but the Lions are roaring this year and it will be a tough ask for the home side in this annual Blueforce Cup clash.
Backrower Mackenzie Martin will be missing with HIA but Connor Morris may be fit to return after missing the last few weeks with injury.
Other than that it will be pretty much the same for Collis as they hope to build on their good win at Rockingham last week.
“It was a real confidence boost for us and I’m hoping we can take another positive step forward,” he said.
“But South Perth are going well this season and it will be challenge for sure.
“We’re a fit side and we’ve trained well this week. If we can defend like we did last weekend against the Sharks and cut out the errors then we should be in the game.”
Collis has been pleased with the progress of his new-look side, after losing so many regulars over the off-season.
“We have a lot of new guys and it is definitely a learning curve, but we’re heading in the right direction.”
South Perth coach John Crawford will want to get one over Collis, a former Lions coach, but knows that won’t be easy.
“He is well respected at our club,” Crawford said, and I don’t think we’ve won a BlueForce Cup there for a while.
“It’s not a place where you come away with many victories.
“They are still in the hunt for that fourth place, so will certainly turn up and give us a game. Lots to play for.”
Luke-David Wells-Talamaivao is a big returnee and Caleb Norton should also be back. Travis Haney could make the 17 after recovering from injury and Harry Kendall has returned from overseas. But forward Mathias Tumuli-Ah-Kuoi is still out.
“He’s a big out for us, hopefully he will be back soon,” Crawford added.
Veteran forward Jimmy Elliott fractured his fibula against Willagee and is likely to miss the rest of the season.
At Charlotte’s Vineyard Ellenbrook coach Dan Manning is hoping his side can get back into the winners’ circle with the Sharks the visitors.
“If we can keep our discipline and stop any silly errors, then we should be OK,” Manning said.
“We had a chat about that during training this week, so everyone is on the same page.
“Keep to our systems and play good footy.”
Both teams have different lineups to when they met back in May and Manning has hooker Zion Wetere and centre Toby Carr back in his 17, although will miss a couple going the other way, back to work.
“The loss last week saw other teams close the gap on us for fourth spot, so we have to keep our heads down and keep winning.”
The Sharks will be hoping to give captain and prop Chris Siddons a winning farewell, the Brit returns to family in the UK next week.
“Siddo has been superb for us, a leader on and off the field,” coach Reece Potter said.
“I just wish the other 16 guys could play like Siddo.”
Centre Vili Tiomai is away for work, as is Jarrad Whitty and Crockett Henry will miss a week with an HIA but Terrence Rameka returns and halfback Dave Quinlin is with the team for another week before he heads back to work up north.
“Last week was very disappointing, but everyone has responded well in training this week and we just need to carry that on to the field on Saturday,” Potter said.
“They beat us at our place earlier in the season, so it would be good to flip the script.”
Joondalup travel south to face Kwinana at Wellard Oval, missing key forward Jack Bullard.
The young prop broke a thumb earlier in the year and the injury has since required a cast that will see him miss the rest of the season.
“He’s gutted,” coach Matt Gowland said. “It will probably require surgery, but we’ve all got around him and he will still be a big part of our squad on match days.”
Gowland will shuffle his team with a couple of ins and a couple of outs for the Titans game – a matchup full of unknowns.
‘“We cannot underestimate them at all,” he said. “I know Lewis (Samuels) well from his days at Fremantle, so he will be up for it. They usually start really well, so we have to be prepared for that.
“We have trained well this week and we’re over the loss to the Roosters last weekend. The boys are positive and want to bounce back.”
