Match Preview: Hemel Stags Pre-season match
Sunday 5th February
2pm kick off, Butts Park Arena
Coventry hosted not one, but two Rugby League Internationals last November, and now the domestic season is about to start again with Coventry Bears hosting Hemel Stags in a warm-up game on Sunday.
In their first pre-season outing, Bears made the long journey to Barrow, losing out to the Raiders 36-18 after putting up some stiff resistance against a strongly fancied side.
This Sunday’s warm-up game is against rivals Hemel Stags, who are now very much an unknown quantity, being composed of players mainly from the Yorkshire area as against Bears mix of increasingly local talent.
Speaking ahead of the game, Bears’ First Team Head Coach TomTsang commented;
‘’Despite it being our first match of the year, when some rustiness can be expected, our performance against Barrow fell short of the standard we have set for ourselves in 2017. We lost the ball too easily when attacking and so spent too much time defending.
Against Hemel, I am looking for us to be more composed in attack, and to raise the intensity of our defence. This is our last warm-up before the League 1 cup, so all the boys will be looking to impress.
Yes, I’m looking forward to playing Hemel. There is history between the clubs, and its always a tough physical game. I’m sure Sunday will be no different.’’
So how will the Bears fare? And what are the prospects for the season ahead?
Bears Squad for Sunday:
Alex Beddows
Billy Gaylor
Brad Smith
Callan Beckett
Chris Barratt
Cian Timmins
Dan Gover
Eddie Medforth
Elliott Davies
Grant Beecham
Hayden Freeman
Jack Morrison
Jamahl Hunte
James Geurtjens
Jason Bass
Joe Prior
Joel James
Mikey Russell
Ricky Murphy
Will Roper
Zach Johnson
Come along to Butts Park Arena, Sunday 5th February Kick off 2pm
Match entry is Adults £12 Con £10 Youth £5 (12-16) Under 12 Free entry
Parking £3.00
There is still time to take advantage of the Bears’ club membership scheme for the forthcoming season; great value at Adults £95 Concessions £85 Youth £25 you can buy online here