Singleton Coach Sets Troops For Rams Raid

Newcastle Herald

Friday April 30, 2004

Craig Kerry - Up the Valley

SINGLETON rugby league coach Sean McVean will look to regular five-eighth Trent Patterson to shut down Muswellbrook danger man Daniel Forder in the final of the pre-season group21 selection trials at Aberdeen on Sunday.

Forder scored twice on Saturday against Denman as the Rams ran out 26-12 winners to earn a meeting with Singleton to fight for the Scanlon Shield.

Forder, who will play centre for Muswellbrook, will be backing up from representing Northern Division on the wing in a trial against North Coast at Wingham, near Forster, tomorrow night.

The former Cessnock flyer and Muswellbrook teammates Adam Tearle and Mark Beer will be the only Northern Division players in the pre-season decider.

Rams captain-coach Barry Edwards will have a full-strength squad if his division trio come through unscathed.

But his opposite number, enjoying a two-week break after having a last-round bye, has lost centre Greg Matthews through family commitments.

McVean has shifted Patterson to the centres in a bid to increase the Greyhounds' size and experience out wide after losing Matthews.

He has also moved Matthews's centre partner, Chad Solman, to five-eighth to bring the young talent closer to the action.

McVean is yet to decide on his final line-up, but is expecting to push an existing winger into the centres and promote another speedster into the starting side.

The coach admits Matthews will be a loss but believes Patterson will be able to negate Forder's attacking skills.

``He will give us a bit more muscle out there and his ball playing will add a bit of skill as well," McVean said.

Edwards scored twice last week and will be calling the shots for Muswellbrook on Sunday.

© 2004 Newcastle Herald

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