WISE HEAD: Veteran all rounder Mark Higgs’ experience will come in handy tonight for Bruck.
Skipper says Bruck needs to make most of its shot at one day title
Written by By SCOTT ANDERSON.
MAKE the most of these opportunities.
That will be the message from Bruck skipper Adam McNamara as his team heads onto the Norm Minns Oval for tonight’s Rod Newton Shield final.
Bruck may be chasing its seventh piece of silverware in four seasons, but McNamara knows the side’s golden run won’t last forever.
"We’ve had a good run of it over the last few years," McNamara said.
"But there are a few of us getting towards the end now, so every grand final is a bonus.
"There are a lot of young blokes in the side now, so it would be great to win for them too.
"You just have to make the most of it."
Bruck’s record against City Colts in finals has been perfect in recent seasons, with the two sides contesting the past three Geoff Welch Shields and last year’s twenty20 decider.
But despite constantly getting the better of their rivals in the big games, McNamara said there wasn’t any particular psychological advantage.
"I’m not real big on things like that," he said.
"I don’t think we have a mental edge – we just go out there and play.
"We’ve all got a lot of good mates at Colts, and we’ve built up a pretty strong rivalry over the past few years, so we just really enjoy playing against them and playing well."
Bruck is coming off a shocker against Yarrawonga Mulwala – beaten by 64 runs after losing 9/52 to be all out for 102.
It was the continuation of an up and down form line from the side which has now lost four of its past seven games.
While McNamara isn’t quite sure about why Bruck has been dropping games, he is confident the side will bounce back tonight.
"If I knew how to fix it I’d be coaching Australia, or maybe India," he said.
"One thing I know is we can’t blame inexperience, because the young blokes have been playing really well.
"It’s more us senior players who have to lift, and I’m sure we will in such a big game.
"We went into our shells a bit last week and didn’t know how to change it when things went against us.
"We just need to go out and play the game our way."
If McNamara gets his way Bruck will bat first and play in an aggressive frame of mind.
"You want to go out and bat first," he said.
"Anything around 200 is going to be a tough score to chase.
"It’s not easy to defend a total at the showgrounds though, so you need to make sure you bat well and get a big score."
As for the effect of playing under lights, McNamara said it would be minimal once the game begins.
"There are only a few of us who have played under lights," he said.
"It takes a little bit of getting used to, but once things start the game really takes over.
"I think there will be more nerves over playing in front of a crowd than anything.
"But it’s going to be a big night, especially for the young guys."
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