NRC Rd3 Preview: North Harbour Rays v Melbourne Rising
The Rays surprised even themselves with an upset victory over the Spirit in Perth last weekend and can set themselves up nicely for a crack at the finals, if they can get past last year’s minor premiers at Manly Oval on Thursday night.
Coach Geoff Townsend has added 20-year old Warringah back Tyson Davis to Rays starting XV, replacing Michael Adams on the wing.
“Yeah he’s (Davis) made the most of his opportunities off the bench in these first few weeks and we just want to see what he can do early in a game,” Townsend said.
“This isn’t any sort of reflection on ‘Mika’ and what he has done in the first two weeks but we see it as the best way to get the most out of both these guys at this stage of the season.”
The Rising on the other hand, suffered their first regular season loss in franchise history against Brisbane City in round, handing over the Horan-Little Shield in the process.
“We’ve reviewed Saturday’s match, finding some work ons and focusing upon some missed opportunities, but most importantly we’ve moved past that quickly and trained well in preparation for facing the Rays,” coach Zane Hilton said.
“They’re coming off a fantastic win last weekend in Perth, and we know that they represent a stern test, but we’re focusing upon what we can control and what we are capable of.”
Wingers Stacey Ili and Justin Marsters impressed on their NRC debuts last week and Hilton said he was looking forward to unleashing them against the Rays.
“It was really pleasing to see ‘Juddy’ and ‘Stace’ running out in the Rising kit for the first time, and they equipped themselves really well; they’re certainly able to have an impact at this level, and not only myself but also their teammates are very excited to see them go again on Thursday night.”
Can the Rays continue their good form, or will Melbourne bounce back to get their season back on track?
Last time they met: Round 1 2014, Rising 55-34 Rays.
North Harbour Rays (1-23)
Mitch Lewis, Luke Holmes, Lawrence Hunting, Mark Johnson, Cam Treloar, Jack Dempsey, Boyd Killingworth, Sam Ward, Josh Holmes, Hamish Angus, Tyson Davis, Tom Hill, Dennis Pili-Gaitau, Alex Northam, Reece Hodge. Reserves: Vance Elliot, Rory O’Connor, Nick Fraser, Harry Rorke, Harry Bergelin, Tim Donlan, Michael Adams, Richard Woolf.
Melbourne Rising (1-23)
Fereti Sa’aga, Pat Leafa, Duncan Chubb, Murray Douglas, Steve Cummins, Jordy Reid, Scott Fuglistaller, Colby Fainga’a, Ben Meehan, Jack Debreczeni, Stacey Ili, Lloyd Johansson, Leo Taliu, Justin Marsters, Jonah Placid. Reserves: Mitch Andrews, Tom Moloney, Matt Onesemo, Sam Jeffries, Pom Simona, Maradona Farao, Sione Tuipulotu, Filipe Vilitati.