Down to earth with a thud

James Filewood shows his skills off to the Bears’ Mark Pollack.

Brendan Ray

ROYALS A-grade hockey side came back to earth with a thud on Sunday losing to a clinical Bears side 5-1.

The timing of the loss could not have been worse for the men in green, who will now face Southside in the elimination semi-final this Sunday.

Royals coach John Taylor said his side’s loss was a combination of poor execution and an over-confident attitude.

“The boys went into the game thinking they would win,” a disappointed Taylor said.

“They seem to think they’ve been cruising the last couple of weeks and were over-confident.

“I’m disappointed with the result but in saying that we’ve still got a chance to make amends against Southside next week in the semi-final.”

Taylor described Sunday’s game against the Bears as a game of tennis with only one team scoring points.

“The game resembled a game of tennis. They would get up our end and score and when we got down their end we failed to convert,” he said.

“Bears were certainly the better side on the day and deserved to win but I was disappointed in my guys’ lack of improvement after the break.

“In a way I’m happy we lost against Bears in the final round game and not in a semi-final.”

Royals’ showdown with Southside on Sunday should be a cracker of a game with the home side having the wood on their more fancied opponents in the last few seasons.

“We always play well against Southside but seem to struggle against the Bears,” Taylor said.

“Our mind set needs to be right against Coffs and we need to put in the effort on the field or our season will be over.”

Southside were widely tipped to feature on grand final day but a lack of consistency and injuries to key players has seen them struggle in recent weeks.

And to add to their woes their number one striker, Reece Edwards, may be unavailable for the all-important clash.

Taylor admits his side needs to improve dramatically if they are to keep their grand final aspirations alive.

“We will have everyone available this week including Peter Kelly,” he said.

“If we are prepared to put in the effort there’s no reason why we can’t advance to the final in two weeks.”

Taylor will be absent from training during the week and has left experienced duo Matt Lobsey and Mick Hughes in charge of the team.

“I’ll be away at the snow so Matt and Mick have been given the task of getting the boys back on track at training,” Taylor said.

In the other A-grade game Sailors finished their season with a disappointing 4-1 loss to Southside.

With the departure of several experienced players Sailors have been in a rebuilding stage in 2010 with their younger brigade tasting A grade hockey for the first time. But there were enough positive signs to suggest they will be a major force in 2011.