Boulder aim for tough style in derby game
Boulder coach Bradley George has challenged his team to play a "hard-nose" style of football when they face top-of-the-table Mines in today's Boulder derby.
The Diorites recorded a thrilling eight-point victory over the Tigers in the season-opener, 16.11 (107) to 14.15 (99).
Dion Fleay's team then continued their winning ways, going undefeated through their next three games to sit as the only unbeaten team in the Goldfields Football League.
Despite the unenviable task of taking on the league leaders, George said he wanted his side to play to their strengths to subdue Mines' fast-paced attack.
"They run pretty hard and move the ball fast, so we'll probably slow the game down, because we don't have anyone that quick," he said.
"We need to lock them down and not let them get that running game going, because if they do, they can be pretty hard to stop.
"We've got to stick to our game plan, have our head down and our derriere up, but if that doesn't work, we'll go back to basics, play man-on-man and go from there."
Following their round 1 loss, Boulder strung two wins together, easily beating the resurgent Kambalda by 53 points, before defeating the winless Kalgoorlie by 22.
The Tigers fell to defending premiers Railways last week by six goals, but George said he was happy with the progress his side was making.
"I'm definitely pleased with how our season has been going, and going down to Railways isn't the be all and end all," he said.
"They don't hand the premiership trophy out in May, so we can learn a lot from that game and implement changes in our game over the next eight to 10 weeks.
"So when it comes to the end of the year, we'll have a good chance of winning when we need to."
Tonight's derby gets underway at 6pm at Digger Daws Oval.
