Head coach Dave Carson praises‘Heroic’ effort from Highland to see off Gala in Inverness
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Head coach Dave Carson hailed Highland’s “heroic” efforts to keep Gala at bay in a 14-10 win.
It was another close run game, echoing the equivalent fixture between the sides last season when a last minute try saw Gala pip their hosts 15–14 at Canal Park.
This time around, Highland held firm under immense pressure to hold out for a victory, and Carson could not be more proud of his players.
“It was just as we expected,” he stressed.
“It was a really tough, physical and brutal game that went right down to the wire. We were four points ahead, and it finished that way even though they were on our line for the last seven and-a-half minutes.
“We kept them out which was absolutely fantastic, and we got four points.
“It was heroic. We were putting these big guys to the floor.
“Overall I’m delighted with the attitude and total commitment to defending we showed in the last 10 minutes.”
The results against Gala from year-to-year show that Highland have made improvements in seeing games out from winning positions.
They came under similar pressure the week before against Stewart’s Melville, and held on there too.
Carson believes a combination of improved fitness, and learning lessons from previous seasons are contributing to those results that might not have come beforehand.
“We managed to find a way to win that game on Saturday, and probably the week before against Stewart’s Melville as well, when last year we might have lost them,” Carson explained.
“There’s certainly an improvement in how we are managing games towards the end.
“Fitness has certainly come into it.
“That’s all down to Rory Cross, our strength and conditioning coach, who has done so much work on that over the summer.
“It’s also our second full season, so we’ve been there and know what to expect now.
“We know we’ve got to see out a game for 80 minutes, and if you slack off at any time you’re going to get beat.
“It has certainly been a learning curve, and the boys have learned from their previous experiences in the league last year. Each season you’re in a league as competitive as this, you’re learning – and in each game too.”
