Young Port Macquarie Shark Nick Cooke will be integral to the team's chances tomorrow.
NIGHT footy comes to the Regional Sports Stadium tomorrow when the Port Macquarie Sharks tackle the Coffs Harbour Comets.
The Sharks will have a full side of fit players for the match, and after scraping over the line against the Orara Valley Axemen last weekend, coach Anthony Fenton said they’ll be keen to put up a good fight.
“We should have a full side, so that’s a bonus,” Fenton said.
“We only had 11 at the start of the game last Sunday, so we had to pull up some reserve graders.”
Halfback George Grant will return from a sternum injury for the match, after being given the all-clear from doctors.
“He’ll just have to play with a bit of pain for the rest of the year,” Fenton said of the playmaker.
Grant’s return pushes young utility Nick Cooke back to the wing.
Fenton said Cook had been a standout this year, playing a range of positions.
“He jumped in at halfback last week and got players’ player,” Fenton said. “He’s played hooker and filled in on the wing, he’s been great. He’s been a silent achiever all year.”
Tomorrow’s match will be the first night game for the Sharks this year, giving it a novelty aspect for the players, Fenton said. He said his side should adapt well.
“We train of a night every week,” he said.
They’ve had good numbers at training every week, and Fenton said the players know they must take things seriously if they want to give the premiership a shake.
“We had a bit of a talk about it on Sunday,” he said.
