By RUSSELL BENNETT
TO say there’s always a little extra on the line when traditional Gridiron Victoria rivals the Berwick Miners and Croydon Rangers face each other is a slight understatement.
“They hate us, and we hate them – and I think that’s pretty good for football, honestly,” Berwick coach Mel Martin said.
The Miners went down to the Rangers 23-12 on Sunday, with the second half a particularly heated affair.
Three Berwick players were sent off for retaliating after a string of unsavoury incidents.
The Miners led 6-0 late in the first half, with Martin adding: “I think the Rangers came in thinking it’d be an easy game for them”.
Quarterback Sam Walker returned from injury for the clash but the Miners lost him again in the first quarter with three broken ribs and suspected nerve damage after an on-field collision. Gun Berwick wide receiver Brad Ferguson then played a strong game at quarterback in his stead.
“It then became more of a running game – led by our running backs and offensive line,” Martin said.
“It was a very hard, tough game and they scored two touchdowns on discipline errors by us.
“That’s the sort of thing that’s happened all year.
“We have to tighten up on our discipline on both sides of the ball, particularly things like false starts close to our red zone.”
Martin said the Miners had to move on now with Ferguson as their quarterback – with Walker likely out for an extended period.
“We’ll plan our offensive game to suit Brad’s skillset, with more running plays and hand-offs and things like that,” Martin said.
The State Netball and Hockey Centre will host a massive weekend of football this week, starting on Friday night with the Gridiron Victoria Women’s All-Star Game – which will feature more than a dozen Berwick Diamonds players.
The Miners, currently fifth in the Division 1 standings, will take on the third-placed South Eastern Predators on Saturday morning from 11.30am.
Berwick is slowly starting to get its best side back on the field, with inside linebacker Mike Peato and right tackle Mat Dawson looking like returning against the Predators.
Lamb, a running back, returned against Croydon after recovering from a calf injury, while first-choice fullback Jon Leota and tight end and receivers coach Rick Brown will line up this week.
“We’ve got high expectations for a win this week, put it that way,” Martin said.
