Forwards coach Van Humphries is readying his pack to front a hungry Melbourne Rising squad and has praised the team for their hard work which has got them to where they are.
“They’re a really nice bunch of boys but they’re not afraid of hard work,” he said.
“It hasn’t been an accident that we have put ourselves into this position and they are deserving of all the accolade that they get.”
But the coach knows there is still plenty of work to be done and believes Melbourne’s ladder position doesn’t truly indicate the strength of that team.
“We are not taking them lightly, they are a very good outfit and in terms of the forward expectations they play pretty hot and heavy through the middle and their scrum and lineouts are very good,” Humphries said.
“Their for and against is very tight, so the matches they lost they have only just lost.
“So things can switch around and if they had won two or three of those really tight ones they would be in a completely different position.”
The Force’s tight five have had an impactful season, being highly successful in their scrums, and aren’t planning on giving up their winning strategy.
“The tight play definitely still has an effect and its proving to be a weapon for us moving forward,” he said.
“It’s effective and it’s part our DNA and what we choose to put forward.
“We try and make sure when we have got pressure and stress on the opposition we don’t take it off and we feel like that is a good forum to do that.”
The Force is coming off a big win against the Sydney Rays and is looking to secure themselves in the best position for a home semi-final and final by focusing on their processes.
“We try and focus one week at a time, this is part of a process that we go through every week and the outcomes will take care of themselves,”
“We have our own standards and we look to apply them again in training and take them out on the pitch on Sunday.”
The Western Force take on Melbourne Rising on October 7 at GMHBA Stadium at 12.30pm AWST. Broadcast LIVE on FOX Sports.
