Addington coach confident

Press, 30 August 1986, Page 76

Addington coach confident

John Tapiata, the Addington coach, is confident last week-end’s narrow loss to Hornby will not affect his side in its vital Canterbury Lion Red rugby league championship preliminary final against Halswell at the Addington Show Grounds tomorrow. The concession of a late try caused Addington to suffer a frustrating onepoint defeat in the major semi-final, and allowed Hornby a direct passage to the grand final on September 7. Ironically, dedicated defence was the hallmark

of Addington’s performance against Hornby. When Mr Tapiata and his statisticians analysed the match afterwards, the figures disclosed that Addington’s players had made 229 effective tackles. “We know we can beat Hornby now, but Halswell is our first objective,” said Mr Tapiata yesterday. “There is no doubt that the team will give 110 per cent on Sunday.” Addington will be without one of its representative second-row forwards, John Green, because of a hamstring problem. How-

ever, Phil Cross, the top individual try-scorer in the premiership arid a man who can be used in the centres or secondrow, returns to the squad after recovering from injury.

A 20-2 victory over Papanui in the minor semi-final suggested that Halswell was back in the groove

In tomorrow’s curtainraiser Kaiapoi meets Mar-ist-Western Suburbs to find the opponent for Sydenham in the Gore Cup final on September 7.