Lions to force the pace on underdone Sharks

Shellharbour earned a bye in the opening week of the finals series as a reward for finishing first.

Coach Dave Walsh was adamant his side benefited from the break leading into the major semifinal against Kiama and the Sharks’ strong performance over the final 20 minutes of that 26-18 victory seemed to support that theory.

However, Roberts suggested the minor premiers might be lacking match fitness in Sunday’s title showdown.

‘‘They’ve only played one game in three or four weeks, so we’d look at that as a bit of an advantage,’’ the goal-kicking fullback said.

‘‘We might have some sore players but everyone will put in 100 per cent no matter what.

‘‘Shellharbour deserve to be favourites. They’ve been the best team all year. There’s nothing wrong with being the underdogs. It’s just a matter of making sure we stick to our game plan and don’t get ahead of ourselves.’’

A first grade debutant in 2008, Roberts has played all his junior and senior football with the Lions, capturing four point-scoring titles in eight seasons and missing a fifth by two points.

He is also a key member of a battle-tested group of Gerringong players who have soldiered through plenty of big games for the club.

‘‘There’s about five or six of us playing in our fifth grand final since 2010,’’ the 27-year-old personal trainer said.

‘‘Having that experience helps calm the nerves and we keep the young fellas controlled, because on grand final day, people can jump the gun a bit and make some simple mistakes.’’

The Lions finished second on the ladder but lost their opening game of the play-offs 8-6 to Kiama.

They stayed alive with a 16-14 road win over 2014 premiers Nowra-Bomaderry in the minor semifinal before overturning a 14-0 deficit to beat Kiama 32-14 in last week’s final at Kiama Showground.

‘‘The good thing about last weekend was that we didn’t panic or stress. We just played our own game and things worked out for us in the second half,’’ Roberts said.

‘‘We know as a team we can score points and we have faith in our ability. It’s an 80-minute game and anything can happen. And no matter what, you don’t panic.

‘‘In the past grand finals we’ve never panicked. In 2010 and 2013 we were behind on the scoreboard and we came back and won by one point both times.’’

Roberts has been one of Gerringong’s most consistent players over the past five years.

‘‘I concentrate on my job and I know the other boys do their job,’’ he said.

‘‘My job’s quite easy when you’ve got the experience and skill of the 12 blokes in front of me.’’

Roberts doesn’t get too excited about his point-scoring proficiency.

‘‘The more you think about it the more pressure you put on yourself,’’ he said.

‘‘I try not to think about it.’’