To say the conditions are different this time around for the classic Gerringong Lions and Kiama Knights derby would be a complete understatement, with the sides engaging in a mud-filled clash earlier this season that saw the Knights walk away winners 6-4.
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With the sun set to shine, both sides said they're "ready" for what should be a hard fought match between two quality sides as we inch towards the end of the regular season.
Kiama coach Marc Laird said the team is feeling "confident" heading into the weekend but knows they can't afford to lose focus and need play hard for the full 80 minutes.
"Everyone knows they're beatable now (Gerringong lost to Stingrays, 30-18 last week), they got a bit of a touch up last week and I'm guessing they're going to be hungry for a big game tomorrow," he said.
"We are definitely going to have to be on our game for sure."
Laird said these derby are always a highlight throughout the season and one the boys really look forward to.
"The boys are really excited and we trained really well this week, finally starting to get a bit of consistency in it which has helped and yeah it's always a good clash with Gerringong so I'm not expecting anything different," he said.
"We've gotta be on our game defensively because once they get a roll on they're really hard to stop."
"They're quick out wide and have some good crafty halves, so we have to minimise our errors and play them down otherwise we'll find ourselves behind the try line."
Gerringong skipper Nathan Ford said the team is ready to rebound from their lost last week and get back in the winning column.
"They (Stingrays) played really well and we didn't play to our strengths like we normally would," Ford said.
"There were a lot of dropped balls and a lot of penalties that helped those guys come down field quite easily."
Ford said the key this weekend will be to avoid penalties and get back to moving the ball around a little bit more instead of always going through the forwards and instead aim to get the outside backs some quality balls.
Looking at Kiama, Ford said that defense will be the teams number one priority.
"They've got some great outside backs who are pretty fast, so watching them around the rucks will be key," he said.
"They also seem to score a lot off long-range kicks so we just have to make sure we're reacting to what's happening in defence and try get that extra pressure on them to bother that."
"We've played a lot of games against Kiama over the years and we have a good rivalry with them so it always means a little bit more."
The two sides will be playing for more than just two points on the weekend as the Danny Morse Shield is on the line.
The shield has been run since 2010 in memory of the local footy player who played for both clubs throughout his career, which adds extra fuel to what is already a strong rivalry.
"It does make the game mean a little bit more to us, and we've held it for a fair few years, so we need a win tomorrow to regain that shield," Ford said.
"We haven't lost on our home ground this year and we take pride in putting on a good show for our home crowd."
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