After slipping to eighth place on the NSW Cup table the Newtown Jets face an important game in relation to their finals aspirations when they tackle the Illawarra Cutters on Saturday.
On a tightly bunched ladder a loss to the Wyong Roos at their last start has the Jets under pressure and looking for a win against a Cutters team which has found some form over their past few matches.
The Jets will also go into the match without Sami Sauiluma after the Sharks centre took an early plea on a dangerous throw charge stemming from the Newtown v Wyong clash.
Sauiluma will miss one match and be available for either NRL or NSW Cup selection the following week.
Sharks forwards Tinirau Arona and Junior Roqica will be amongst those keen to put on a strong showing in a bid to push for including in the Sharks NRL side to play the Knights in round 15.
The match is scheduled for a 3.00pm kick off at WIN Stadium in Wollongong on Saturday.
Below the NSWRL has again provided its weekly match preview.
Illawarra Cutters v Newtown Jets:
Cutters look for back-to-back wins
The Illawarra Cutters and Newtown Jets sit mid-table on 14 competition points as they face off this Saturday in Wollongong.
The two sides met in round nine, which the Jets won 26-10.
Despite the result, Cutters coach Scott Logan made it clear that they will be focusing on themselves this week, rather than the opposition.
“Most weeks we focus on ourselves,” says Logan. “We have a quick look at the opposition and we know their strengths and weaknesses, but every week it’s about us improving as a group.
“We’re not going to concentrate too much on them [Newtown]. We spent a lot of the week as a group working up some things that weren’t good last week.”
Both sides have had no problem with scoring points this season, and Logan says there are various attacking players from Newtown that they will have to keep an eye on.
“Some of their danger players, we played them in round nine,” said Logan. “Todd Murphy led them around reasonably well and Nathan Gardner had a very good game against us.
“There’s a number of players in that team plus a couple of inclusions that weren’t there last time as well that we’ll have to keep an eye on.”
With a tight VB NSW Cup competition, a win for the Cutters could see them advance into the top four but a loss could see them drop to as low as eighth.
The Jets have been struggling for consistency in 2015 as they sit on the fringe of the top eight. A win for them will move them up the ladder towards the top four and a step closer to fulfilling their potential.
NSW Cup Team List – Round 14
Jets v Cutters
Saturday, June 20
WIN Stadium, Wollongong
Kick-off – 3.00pm
1 Nathan Gardner
2 Daniel Abou-Sleiman
3 TBC **
4 Mitch Brown
5 Nesiasi Mataitonga
6 Dallas Wells
7 Todd Murphy
8 Andrew Pearn
9 Pat Politoni
10 Ray Moujalli
11 Tinirau Arona
12 Junior Roqica
13 Tim Robinson
Interchange
14 Kurt Dillon
15 Kurt Kara
16 Patrice Siolo
17 Saulala Houma
**replacement for Sami Sauiluma yet to be named
CUTTERS: 1 JUSTIN HUNT 2 TYRON CRANSTON 3 DYLAN FARRELL 4 CHARLY RUNCIMAN 5 KITI GLYMIN 6 DREW HUTCHISON 7 SHANNON CROOK 8 GEORGE ROSE 9 CRAIG GARVEY 10 RORY O’BRIEN 11 NATHAN GREEN 12 ADAM TUIMAVAVE-GERRARD 17 RUSSELL PACKER 14 SAM COSTER 15 SHANNON WAKEMAN 16 RULON NUTIRA 20 KAYNE BRENNAN COACH SCOTT LOGAN
