Tuesday, March 12, 2013
By BEN HARRIS
In the inaugural X-Blades Elite Eight two years ago NSW Mets men’s opens team were beaten in the final seconds by NSW Scorpions to lose the decider.
Last year at the National Touch League, playing as Sydney Mets, they were again beaten by their cross-town rivals, this time in a drop-off.
This week, back playing as the NSW Mets, they will be hoping it is third time lucky as they compete at the Elite Eight Series in Coffs Harbour.
The Mets are the top seeds in the men’s and women’s divisions.
The women side heads into this year’s tournament as the defending Elite Eight champions following their 9-4 win over NSW Country Mavericks.
The men, however, will be looking for revenge.
With a team decorated with Australian players, the Mets could go one better in 2013.
“It is no secret we have a core group of Aussie men’s opens players, we have got mixed opens men’s players as well,” Mets men’s opens coach Michael Moussa said.
“[Anthony] Ziade, Nick Good, you could rattle off names, [Ben] Moylan, the list goes on. Those players I am looking to them to stand up and take the team forward.
“We wanted to make sure from our mistakes last time and we just came short, the last 20 seconds in the first Elite Eight. Hopefully we can come good and play to our potential and take it out.
“If we have fun we are a chance of winning and that is all part of the journey for us.”
Most of the players in the Mets opens have played together before either at Vawdon Cup, State Cup, State of Origin or at the international level.
It’s that experience Nick Good believes will come in handy.
“There’s nine of us from Penrith, we love that fact, we love coming with the Wests and Canterbury crew too, we’ve got a Bankstown kid,” Good said.
“We have built a side along a lot of culture through our captain Anthony Ziade. We are not just going to be close on the field we are going to close off the field as well.”
But he said it won’t be a walk in a park.
“Every time we play, you don’t get an easy game so you don’t start easy, you don’t get any rest games it is just straight into it,” he said.
“I’m looking forward to testing ourselves against the best in Australia.
“I think you’re silly if you don’t think [NSW] Country Mavericks and [Queensland Country] Outlaws are the favourites.
“On paper their roster is just Australian players everywhere. They are the people in form of the game. If we can get over the other two teams and give them a run, we would be pretty happy where we are at.”
You can keep up-to-date with all of the latest news and information from the 2013 X-Blades National Touch League in the following ways:
Websites
Social Media
Facebook – www.facebook.com/touchfootballaustralia
Twitter – www.twitter.com/touchfootyaus (be sure to use the hashtag #NTL2013)
Instagram – search for ‘Touch Football Australia’
YouTube - www.youtube.com/touchfootballaus
- Links:
Third time lucky?
