Inverness Craig Dunain wary of dark horses Stornoway
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CAPTAIN Catriona Knott says Inverness Craig Dunain will face a different prospect against Stornoway compared to their two previous encounters this season.
Craig Dunain have ran in 106 points against the Western Isles outfit in their two matches this campaign.
A 44–5 home win followed by a 52–7 victory in Stornoway saw Craig Dunain win the North West Region Women’s League with an undefeated record.
But as Craig Dunain travel to the Western Isles for their first game in North Region League Stage Two, Knott is expecting a tougher match against Stornoway.
“Stornoway as a team can be a dark horse,” she said.
“They played well against Orkney and only suffered a small loss which was an interesting result.
“The result proved that Stornoway as a team can’t be underestimated any more after going toe-to-toe with Orkney.
“We have to treat them with respect as it is a home game for them and will have a lot of support cheering them on.”
Craig Dunain beat Stornoway and Huntly twice during Stage One of the league season.
They ran in 270 points in four games. But with tougher prospects coming up, Knott says her team need to be prepared they won’t runaway with games during the second phase of the season.
“We are looking to keep running in the tries,” she said.
“But we have to be prepared that we are not going to score off every play or every phase.
“That will not be a realistic mindset when we come up against the more experienced teams like Orkney and Shetland.
“Grabbing a bonus point against Stornoway would be great.”
“But we have to bear in mind that we will have to work through our phases and ball possession.”
Knott says the team to face Stornoway tomorrow will not be finalised until tonight but is confident they can return with a morale boosting victory before facing Shetland in Inverness next weekend.
“It is key we get a good game against Stornoway on Saturday as Shetland were top of their league during the first phase of the season.
“But we are fully focussed on beating Stornoway.”
