Golden Square is better equipped to defeat Sandhurst in 2017 than it was in 2016, according to Dragons’ coach Wayne Primmer.
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Sandhurst proved too good for the Bulldogs in all four of their meetings in 2016, including the grand final.
The teams meet for the first time in 2017 on Saturday night in Golden Square’s first match under lights at Wade Street.
Despite the fact the Bulldogs will only have 10 players from last year’s grand final side on the park against the Dragons, Primmer rates Square highly.
“I think Square are quicker (than last year), they run more players through their forward line and they’re more intense at the ball,’’ Primmer said of the Bulldogs under new coach Bernie Haberman.
“We’re expecting a real challenge in that area (contested ball).
“We have to be ready to because it’s on Square’s ground and it’s their first game under lights. They’ll be fired up to put in a good showing.
“The players that are still there from last year have pride… they will remember that we beat them four times and they’ll want to bounce back.
“I’m expecting a really tough game.”
Golden Square’s first-up win over Kangaroo Flat was far from convincing, but the Bulldogs showed their class with a hard-fought victory over Strathfieldsaye in round two.
The win over the Storm was built around a dominant midfield.
Primmer said Saturday night’s game on the tight confines of Wade Street would be won and lost in the middle of the ground.
“On those smaller grounds, if you don’t get your hands on the ball first you’re in trouble,’’ Primmer said.
“Our first priority is to get our hands on the ball first and try to play the way we want to play. If Square wins the ball in the middle then we’ll be chasing and it’s going to put more pressure on our backline.
“On small grounds you can get the ball into the forward line quicker and it gives forwards more chance to have one-on-one opportunities.”
Sandhurst’s midfield group has been strengthened by the return of star ruckman Tim Martin.
His battle with Square’s in-form ruckman Matt Compston will be vital.
“Compston is a very good player… one of the best ruckmen in the competition,’’ Primmer said.
Golden Square’s hopes could rest on how its young players cope with Sandhurst’s pressure.
The Bulldogs’ young pups performed well against the Storm.
“Consistency of performance is important for us, particularly against a team like Sandhurst which is the best team in the competition,’’ Square coach Bernie Haberman said.
“With young players the distance between their best and worse performances can be greater than experienced players.
“We have an interesting mix this year with eight to 10 players having played more than 100 games and eight to 10 players having played less than 25 games. We don’t have many in between.
“Including the practice matches we haven’t strung together two good games in a row yet. I’m hoping that script doesn’t continue on Saturday.
“If we can bring our best footy then we’ll be right in the game.”
Saturday night’s game starts at 5.30pm.