Brad Cox-Goodyer impressed by young talent at North Launceston
North Launceston coach Brad Cox-Goodyer has hailed several of the club’s youngsters for their start to the season as the Bombers prepare to welcome back a big name.
THE return of sharpshooter Brandon Leary gives North Launceston the power to fight fire with fire in attack against the undefeated Tigers in their TSL clash at UTas Stadium on Saturday as the Bombers make their move on a double-chance come September.
Leary missed North Launceston’s 43-point win over North Hobart on Saturday so his return for the top-of-the-table contest gives Bombers coach Brad Cox-Goodyer hope of extending their winning record to five on the trot.
“Absolutely. You put him into your team you’re going to be much better off for sure,” Cox-Goodyer said.
The spread of goalkickers in the Bombers’ front half makes them a danger to the Tigers in their second meeting this season.
“We’ve got some attacking threats up there,” Cox-Goodyer said.
“You look at how well Theo Ives is coming along at the moment. He’s a big, strong man but he’s young and still improving.
“We’ve also got Jack Aherne and Leary, who didn’t play at the weekend so we’ve got some firepower up there.
“Our mids are doing a great job in getting the ball down there so it’s a whole team effort.”
Cox-Goodyer has studied where the Bombers went wrong when they were beaten at the Twin Ovals in round two.
“We were too close at the stoppages and they owned the outside,” he said.
“That enabled them to get the ball forward and put our defenders under the pump.
“They’ve got some key talls and our defenders weren’t able to bring the ball to ground.
“That was our one blemish of the year. We were pretty poor that day and I don’t think that will happen again.”
The Bombers have a plan to deal with the Tiger talls.
“It’s about limiting the amount of ball they get,” Cox-Goodyer said.
“We need to be better around the stoppages and the mids know that.
“We’ll put it on them this week to be better because that’s where it’s going to be won.
“The Tigers have got a really experienced midfield and a good group in there so we have got to match them.”
The Tigers have won six in a row, making it a critical clash in the context of North Launceston’s season.
“It’s massive. We get a crack at the best team on our home deck, which is where we want to play them,” Cox-Goodyer said.
“We play this ground really well and think we’ve got some advantages over them out here.
“So I’m looking forward to getting on this ground and playing our style.”
Originally published as Brad Cox-Goodyer impressed by young talent at North Launceston
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