After Saturday night’s momentum-building win over the Queensland Reds, Plus500 Brumbies coach Dan McKellar said he was overall happy with his players’ performance.
McKellar thought the game against the Reds was a great show of this team’s resilience and ability to grind out the tougher matches.“I’m happy with the win. I’m happy we came through unscathed as well the Brumbies Head Coach commented.
“We were a bit frantic with our last action at times and created a lot of good opportunities for them and they took advantage of that.
“How we regained composure and control and went into half time 19-10 up were really good signs. We’re going to face a lot of pressure in the next few weeks and we’ve got to be able to handle it and throw a couple of counter punches.
“I think we’ve had confidence and belief for a while now. You see that in moments like we had tonight, where we were under the pump with the Reds.
”We’re really proud of the position we’ve put ourselves in, but we’ve got to keep going about the day to day process and getting our preparation right. There’s no ladder now, its all back to square one so we’ve got to front up on Saturday evening next week.”
Looking ahead to the quarter final match against the Sharks this Saturday, McKellar believed his team is prepared for whatever challenges they bring to GIO Stadium.
“I think we’re definitely ready,” McKellar revealed.
“I think our games in good shape, I think our defence and set piece are also good. I think we’re taking our opportunities in attack and creating plenty of opportunities in attack.
“At times we were impatient tonight but it’s nice to see our boys in space so it’s pleasing to have those areas of our game humming along because its going to be important in the next few weeks.”
Tom Wright and Andy Muirhead, who came in for Henry Speight and Toni Pulu respectively on the wings, both played exceptionally and will give the coach a lot to think about ahead of this week. The Brumbies’ highly rated backrow is also full of difficult selection choices.
“There’s gonna be a lot of tough choices and some difficult conversations,” admitted McKellar.
“But as the boys have always said, it’s a 40-man squad and everyone’s going to contribute and play their role.
“Obviously only 23 can be on field next week, but everyone’s playing an important role, be it the playing group or the background staff there’s been a lot of people who have contributed so far and we’re in a good place.”
“The atmosphere walking into the ground, there’s a vibe and a really nice atmosphere walking in, and the players want to experience that. So, hopefully we get double [the crowd] next week.”
The Brumbies take on the Sharks this Saturday at GIO Stadium. Gates open at 5:15pm and the match will kick off at 8:05pm. Tickets are available from www.ticketek.com.au.
