Shaun Timmins' Steelers will this Saturday take on the Knights in a do-or-die SG Ball finals battle at Leichhardt Oval.
Key Timings
- Date: Saturday, April 13th
- Kick-off: 4:45pm
- Where: Leichhardt Oval
The Steelers notched six wins from their nine regular season matchups including four on the trot to start the year before injuries began to hit.
Timmins says that the group has enjoyed a strong fortnight at training in preparation for Saturday's battle.
"We had the week off last week, so we've sort of had two weeks to prepare," he said.
"The boys have been really good actually... They've been really excited. A lot of them haven't played in junior reps finals, so we're really keen for the challenge on Saturday against Newcastle. We know it's going to be a tough game; they've had a really good season."
Whilst they come into the encounter fresh off a comprehensive win over the Bears, Timmins is confident that the side has another gear to click into.
"We've got plenty of areas to improve. We just want to keep it simple. We don't want to change anything we've been doing," he said.
"We know the intensity is going to go up in a semi-final. We're just looking to go out there and try and control the ball and play the style of footy we've been playing... Semi-finals don't come around real often, so when they do you've got to make the most of them."
They welcome standout five-eighth Lyhkan King-Togia back from a fractured jaw and into the fold whilst his trusty halves partner Kade Reed returned to the side in Round 7 after a three-week layoff.
The side went undefeated in the three clashes that King-Togia and Reed - who both spent the preseason training with the club's NRL squad - occupied the No.6 and No.7 slots.
Timmins is aware of the influence that the performance of his talented halves pairing will have on the result of the game.
"Kade and Lyhkan had an NRL preseason which has helped them work really well together and they were looking good when they were playing together early," he said.
"It'll be good to have them both out on the field on Saturday. Lyhkan's had a few good weeks of training and is chomping at the bit to get at it. I'm looking forward to them combining really well on Saturday."
The Steelers will be without captain Daniel Meafou and try-scoring ace Tom Kirk paving the path for centre Hayden Buchanan to skipper the side.
Match: Knights v Steelers
Finals Week 1 -
home Team
Knights
away Team
Steelers
Team Lists
Backs
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Fullback for Knights is number 1 Connor VotanoFullback for Steelers is number 1 Lucas Borg
-
Winger for Knights is number 2 Sosaia LatuWinger for Steelers is number 2 Clay Baldock
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Centre for Knights is number 3 Logan AoakeCentre for Steelers is number 3 Hayden Buchanan
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Centre for Knights is number 4 Wilson De CourceyCentre for Steelers is number 4 Zane Timmins
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Winger for Knights is number 5 Jeremy TrappettWinger for Steelers is number 5 Toby Rumble
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Five-Eighth for Knights is number 6 Fletcher HuntFive-Eighth for Steelers is number 6 Lyhkan King-Togia
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Halfback for Knights is number 7 Haami LozaHalfback for Steelers is number 7 Kade Reed
Forwards
-
Prop for Knights is number 8 Brock ThomasProp for Steelers is number 8 Jackson Smith
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Hooker for Knights is number 9 Malachi SmithHooker for Steelers is number 9 Seth Pearman
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Prop for Knights is number 10 Cody HopwoodProp for Steelers is number 10 Lachlan WEIR
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2nd Row for Knights is number 11 Jermaine McEwen2nd Row for Steelers is number 11 Braith Plecas
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2nd Row for Knights is number 12 Will Cannavo2nd Row for Steelers is number 12 Jarrah Gaia Treweek
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Lock for Knights is number 13 Jack HilliarLock for Steelers is number 13 Viliami Amone
Interchange
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Interchange for Knights is number 14 Zeek FaulknerInterchange for Steelers is number 14 Aaymon Fitzgibbon
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Interchange for Knights is number 15 Beau SladeInterchange for Steelers is number 15 Ramses Munro
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Interchange for Knights is number 17 Te Kaio CranwellInterchange for Steelers is number 17 Tyrone Amone
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Interchange for Knights is number 18 Bailey CarmichaelInterchange for Steelers is number 19 Leeroy Weatherall
Reserves
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Replacement for Knights is number 20 Taj MooreReplacement for Steelers is number 20 Jackson Rieck
Last updated:
The Knights - who went down to the Eels in the under-19s Grand Final a year ago - nabbed seven wins from their nine regular season outings to finish third on the competition ladder.
Captain Malachi Smith headlines the quartet of Knights who were a part of last year's Grand Final squad along with Bailey Carmichael, Beau Slade, and Logan Aoake.
Timmins is expecting the Knights to play a similar brand of football come Saturday as they look to continue their quest towards avenging last year's Grand Final defeat.
"They're pretty physical. They've got some big outside backs that like to carry the ball out of yardage. They've got some real good back rowers too," he said.
"They only lost two games, so they've had a good season... They've got a few sides playing on the day, so they'll try and bring a crowd down. We're really looking forward to the clash between two steel cities."
