THE Muswellbrook Mambas are ready to strike.
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For the first time in a quarter of a century, Muswellbrook will field an open men’s touch side in some of the biggest competitions within the state.
And, it all starts this weekend with the 2016 Hornets Championships at Maitland Park on Saturday and Sunday.
This will be followed by the NSW Touch Association Country Championships at Thomas Dalton Park, Fairy Meadow, on October 22 and 23.
The big finale is the State Cup at Port Macquarie’s Regional Sports Stadium on December 2, 3 and 4.
Captain Jake Barner believes the Mambas will give a good account of themselves in all three tournaments.
“We’ve got a very talented team,” he said.
“The guys have been training hard for the past two months.
“Even though it’s our first main hit-out this weekend, the squad boasts a lot of experience.
“We’ve all played in the NSW Touch Junior State Cup, while Jake [Parker] is a NSW representative.
“We’re facing a tough draw [at the Hornets] but we should be competitive.
“It’s also strong preparation for the Country Championships and State Cup.
“It’ll be good to get some games under our belt and work on our combinations.”
Barner said the Mambas would proudly represent the town in the coming months.
“We’ve talked about it [starting a side] for the past couple of years, however Luke [Howard] and Brady [Benkovic] got it off the ground,” he told the Chronicle.
“We even held a few selection trials before settling on the final 14 players.
“So, we’ve definitely taken it seriously.
“But, we should give the tournaments a good crack.”
The Mambas feature the silky skills of Luke Howard, Brady Benkovic, Jake Barner, Lennie Craft, Cooper Harris, Joel Barner, Anaru Komene, Bailey Taylor, Hayden Fox, Matt McKay, Jake Parker, Jason McKay, Nathaniel Hofman and Seaton Graham.