August 18, 2007
From The Mercury
Reported by Adam Smith
Reported by Adam Smith
COBURG coach Andrew Collins is taking nothing for granted for tomorrow's AFL curtain raiser at Aurora Stadium despite the glaring difference on the ladder between his side and Tasmania.
The Coburg Tigers sit a game clear in third on the VFL ladder with two rounds remaining, with a win over the Tassie Devils guaranteeing they can't be removed.
And while Tasmania is anchored to the bottom of the table, Collins only has to look back to Coburg's round-seven clash at Bellerive to know the Tigers can't get ahead of themselves.
In a game spectacularly remembered for a goal post being snapped in the final quarter, the Devils pushed the visitors all the way only to run out of petrol late in the match.
"It was only the last 15 minutes really where we managed to get on top," Collins said.
"We had difficulty all day with them. (Adam) Derbyshire was in terrific form and Ken Hall was causing trouble but having a look at the teams, the two are very different."
Coburg is coming off a bye last week, which Collins said came at the perfect time following a disappointing match against Geelong a fortnight ago.
The Tigers won their four previous matches comfortably and will be looking to return to the winners list again against a youthful Devils outfit.
"Obviously we are in preparation mode for the finals now and this is a very important game for us," Collins said.
"We didn't play well against Geelong. (The bye) was a very good time to have a break.
"Coming off a loss, it gave us the chance to set some goals coming into finals."
Despite injury ripping through AFL-aligned club Richmond and forcing multiple changes in recent weeks, Coburg has named 10 AFL-listed players.
This includes a dangerous forward line -- without Tasmanian Jack Riewoldt and Kent Kingsley -- of Patrick Bowden, Cleve Hughes, Chris Hyde and Jay Schulz.
"Injuries have really caused a bit of concern," Collins said.
"Richmond has got just over 30 players to select from.
"This obviously impacts on the alignment.
"It's been very unsettling from my perspective.
"We have had nine, eight and seven changes in the past three weeks.
"But that's part of the alignment and part of the landscape of VFL football."
Tomorrow's match starts at 9.50am
