Glenorchy Knights coach, James Sherman, agrees that Saturday’s game against Devonport Strikers is just about the biggest game of the year for his club.
“It just about is,” Sherman said today.
“We had that cup final earlier in the season and I’d say this is just about on a par.”
He also agreed the game was a do or die affair.
“We can’t afford to make too many errors early because against a side like Devonport it’ll be hard to get back into it,” Sherman said.
“Being at home will, hopefully, give us some advantage, but at the end of the day it’ll be the small margins that’ll make the difference.
“In terms of the surface, I don’t think it’ll make much of a difference.
“I think we’re in a better space [than we were when we played the cup final] as the side is more settled and we’ve got a few more boys in better physical shape than last time.
“We went out there that last time pretty battered and bruised but we kept that under wraps.
“We had a handful of boys operating at 70 or 80 per cent, whereas this week, it’s not the case.
“Physically, we’re in much better shape and we’ve had two or three really good performances, although the scored may not have indicated that.
“If you’ve watched the matches you can see that the boys are moving the ball quite well and we look a threat and at the same time we are absolutely not giving anything away to the opposition in terms of chances.”
Sherman said that when injuries and player departures are taken into account, his side have over achieved in a way.
The team has had to be rebuilt because of this and yet, with two games to go, are still second to a side that has won four titles in a row.
Sherman said he would recruit in the off-season because he was always looking to strengthen the side.
“We’re keen to bring people in who will help us to improve and who will drive the squad on a little bit more,” Sherman said.
Sherman said Devonport have been a consistent side for a number of years now and he and his players know what to expect on Saturday.
The same could be said about Knights, he opined.
“These are two good strong sides with a clear direction and clear strengths and I think we even each other out quite well,” he said.
“I’m assuming it’ll be a very similar game to last time and it’ll be the side that makes the least amount of errors and is able to capitalise on those chances or half-chances when they come along that will win.”
It is believed that Alex Walter will be in attendance at the game.
He left the Knights during the season to play in Victoria, but football in Victoria is in lock-down at present.
Whether he is merely a spectator or whether he can somehow play for the Knights remains to be seen.
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