Young Tigers hungry for win | Canterbury Sport | Surfing, Rugby, Soccer, Football, Cricket in Canterbury

CATCHING A Tiger by the tail is always
dangerous.

And Hornby know that as they
prepare for Sunday's rugby league
grand final against the form team this
season.

Hornby won last year's final, but the
Papanui Tigers won the minor
premiership with 11 wins from 14 and
and took the direct route to the
Harrington's Breweries grand final.

They also have canny former Bulls
coach Brent Stuart at the steering wheel
_ and a desperate hunger to win.

Papanui and Hornby have been
Canterbury's most successful grand final

 

teams, although curiously they have met
only once before in the big match of the
season, in 1997.

And the Tigers' last grand final
victory was a year later, when they
edged Halswell 27-22.

Their last final was two years ago in
Stuart's first season, when Linwood beat
them 30-22.

Only half a dozen players remain
from that team, with young players and
recruits from rugby coming through.

The astute Stuart has turned them
into a slick outfit, with the meanest
defence this season and plenty of
players who can touch down.

''We're definitely turning up to play,''
he said.

 

 

''Hornby have got a lot of experienced
players like Corey Lawrie, Jonny
Limmer, and Donny Aitken, and they've
got it over us there.

''But our guys haven't been to a final
before, and hopefully our keenness
might carry us through.''

With quite a few players nursing
injuries, the break last weekend while
Hornby and Celebration slugged it out
for the other spot in the final couldn't
have been more welcome for Stuart.

''We definitely needed it,'' he said.

''We'd have struggled to field a team
at the weekend.''

The Tigers have won both their
meetings this year, although both were
close games.