Discipline the focus for defending premiers
Kieran Shipp will again take the field for CYMS when they face Narromine at Apex Oval on Sunday. Photo: KATHRYN O'SULLIVAN
DISCIPLINE will be the focus for Dubbo CYMS in their Group 11 clash against Narromine on Sunday, centre Jyie Chapman said.
The side gave away a number of penalties in last week's "scrappy" local derby against Macquarie, with the Raiders coming back to 24-22 against the defending champions courtesy of a lapse in discipline by one of the competition's most disciplined sides.
"We're hoping to get bit better than what we were on the weekend... we were a bit scrappy... and pick up our performance on the weekend," Chapman said.
"We had a big talk at training just about... well, pretty much our discipline and stuff like that. We led to a few penalties on the weekend and that's not really like us.
"Penalties, we try and keep them out of our game... that's what has gotten us two titles in a row so we've just got to try and cut it out of our game a bit. So hopefully we can go against Narromine and not let too many go and just get us over the line."
Coach Tim Ryan agreed discipline would be crucial to CYMS title defence, as well as forming winning combinations among the side's newer recruits.
"It's only round two so we've got a few things to work on so just our combinations," Ryan said.
"It's only early days but Narromine are going to be good so we'll have to be on our game ready to play them.
"They're a new look team as well, we know their going to be good so we've got to get a bit better this week than we were last week."
Chapman said the Fishies were expecting a tough contest against Narromine, who got their season off to a terrific start with a 36-32 upset win over Nyngan.
But he said if CYMS stick to playing their style of game, there was no reason they couldn't make it two from two.
Being smarter in defence and holding onto the ball by giving away fewer penalties would go along way to clinching the win, he said.
"We expect a physical contest against Narromine. We've got lot of guns in the team that can attack," he said.
"Everyone is going to try and get us off our game. They're out to get us because they don't want us to win three [championships] in a row.
"The pressure doesn't really get to us. We don't think about the grand final or the finals until they come around.
"[The other sides] want to come out and beat us so we know we're going to be playing their best teams on the day. That's what motivates us on the day."
DUBBO CYMS FIRST GRADE
1. Kieran Cubby-Shipp, 2. Isaac Gordon, 3. Jyie Chapman, 4. Colby Pellow, 5. Ben Wood, 6. Alex Bonham, 7. Matt Toole, 8. Jarryn Powyer, 9. Luke Jenkins, 10. Lincoln Kavanagh, 11. Jordan Reynolds, 12. Billy Sing, 13. Ben Marlin, 14. Alex Ronayne, 15. Shaquille Gordon, Coach: Tim Ryan