Wildcats ready for BritBowl
ROBBIE Paulin maintains it will be a "huge task" for the Highland Wildcats to retain their UK Championship title in Sheffield this weekend.
The city club comfortably held on to their Scottish crown earlier this year, winning 11 out of the 12 games they contested, to qualify for another trip south of the border.
But with a largely inexperienced squad and injury having taken its toll upon the Wildcats, head coach Paulin is well aware his players will once more have to step up a level if they hope to keep a hold of the prize they won at last year’s BritBowl event.
"I am really proud of the squads achievements so far this year," he said.
"At the start of the season, we set out the team goal of defending the Scottish championship, which we achieved a few months ago.
"Since then we’ve taken it one step further and have been preparing to defend our UK championship title.
"For a team that is made up of mainly rookies, this is a huge task, but they are stepping up to the challenge.
"We’ve been hit with injuries in the past few weeks with some key players now not able to compete at BritBowl, but I’ve been impressed with their efforts to keep involved with the team and still contributing to the cause.
"However, the other players have definitely raised their game to compensate."
Not for the first time, the draw has put both the Wildcats and the Woodham Warriors on a collision course to face off the final for the third consecutive BritBowl.
In 2010, it was the Warriors who prevailed with a late touchdown, yet Highland exacted their revenge only 12 months later when they emerged triumphant at Woodham’s expense.
Paulin has prepared meticulously for any challenge that awaits the Wildcats at BritBowl, which starts tomorrow and finishes on Sunday, but he knows it is the Warriors who may pose the biggest threat to his team’s aspirations of taking the title back to the Highland Capital again.
"I feel as prepared tactically for the finals as we were last year," he said. "We are going into the finals as second seeds, the same situation as last year also.
"I believe if our guys give 100 per cent on every play, we have the potential to beat any team down there.
"However, I know that the Woodham Warriors, who we beat in the final game last year, will be hot on our heels and not wanting to fall at the final hurdle again.
"I’ve coached against their head coach, Jon Tait, in a lot of high pressure games and I know him and his team won’t be going down without a fight this year."