Getting back to the footy.
Assuming Frank Pritchard is fit to take his place on the bench we are going into the Sharks contest largely at full strength.
There are probably more question marks over the Sharks in terms of injuries and they have not been overly impressive in the meaningless trials.
Despite the Ricky Stuart factor and there strong home record I feel the Sharks are beatable tommorrow evening. Yes we will surely have to be at our best, but if we are there is no reason why we cannot come away with the two points.
Sammut is surely the key as he will carry the responsibility of our kicking in general play and he has to be spot on. If the Sharks enjoy greater that an even share of possession and the field position that comes with it then I fear we have little or no chance.
We need to minimise our mistake rate and finish in front of the penalty count however unlikely that may be.
Despite the odds, despite the Sharks recent record and strong performances I am optimistic of a positive showing. I am not so bold as to predict a Panthers victory but I am confident of a positive showing.
If we do come out on the wrong end of the scoreline and by a large margin it will not be good. We need to start with a very positive performance even if we dont come away with the two points.
By this time tommorrow evening we will surely have a better idea of where we are heading in 2009 despite the fact it is only round 1.
