Seahorses primed to take on defending rugby premiers

BALLINA is shaping as a premiership contender after an unbeaten start to the Far North Coast rugby union season.

The Seahorses have piled on the points in the early rounds and will take on defending premiers Wollongbar-Alstonville this Saturday at Pioneer Park.

Ballina first grade coach Mick Greenhalgh has high hopes for the side, with most of the team having played together for the past three seasons.

“We did a fair bit of work on our fitness in the preseason and our players in the key positions are doing really well,” Greenhalgh said.

“We didn’t have any trial form to go off, so we weren’t sure what to expect, but it’s been a great start to the season.”

Ballina boasts an imposing forward pack, both in size and strength, while new halfback Jack Radford has added another dimension to the attack.

Radford previously played with Norths in Sydney, where he met Sam Giltrap — a standout at Ballina in recent years.

Forwards Andrew Burke and Luke Kleise have also returned to the club, bringing more than a decade of experience alongside second-rower Harry Bungate.

“We targeted a few key areas where we were lacking a bit of depth and we got lucky with a few of our pick-ups,” Greenhalgh said.

“We got a few other guys who probably didn’t think they were going to play first grade, but they’ve shown they still have a lot to offer.

“They don’t do anything fancy — we know they will get the job done for us.”

Ballina is one of the few clubs in the competition to field two senior men’s teams and a women’s team this season.

Greenhalgh said the Wollongbar-Alstonville clash would be a key test before the team breaks for a fortnight with byes.

“We’ve broken the season up into blocks and we’re coming to an end of one now,” he said.

“It’s a great time to be involved. The club is flying socially and we have a full committee.

“We’re slowly building our junior base and the ladies team brings plenty of energy to the place.

“We still have work to do, but to get 35 blokes to training on Tuesday nights is really pleasing.”

Kick-off is 3.15pm at Pioneer Park, Wollongbar.