Greens have strong squad for Highland clash after enforced five-week break
The Greens’ visit to Canal Park in Inverness on Saturday will represent the first major test of their National League aspirations.
They travel seeking their first victory there for more than a decade on the back of an enforced five-week absence from competition.
Highland Seconds, meanwhile, will be gunning to extend their lead at the top of the North Conference of Caledonia 1 buoyed by their hard-fought 39-34 win in Shetland last weekend.
Caithness were left idle again last Saturday following the eleventh-hour call-off by scheduled visitors Aberdeenshire.
Head coach Sinclair Dunnett hastily arranged a bounce game at Millbank to help keep his players battle-ready.
“It just feels like forever since we played,” he lamented.
Their last outing was their 51-5 victory over Ross Sutherland on September 13, which followed up their earlier home win against Gordonians Seconds.
“The good news about the break is that everyone is fit,” Dunnett said. “And even though we have 12 unavailable through holidays and work commitments, we will still be travelling with a good, strong squad.”
Among the regulars missing will be Gary Mackay, Kevin Budge, Dave McIntosh and Craig Cannop.
This has left them light in the second-row department, which is likely to see Kevin Brims redeployed to the engine room and Craig Gunn coming in to start on the flank.
Max Kennedy is fit to start at outside centre after recovering from the concussion he suffered in the Ross game.
Dunnett said: “We've obviously lost a bit of momentum with the break but we had a really good, competitive internal game on Saturday when a few fringe players put their hands up for a starting jersey.
“There have also been good numbers at training and the boys are still focused on what we need to do.
“Highland have had a few games more than us and have been going well and I think they will be our main rivals, though it is still very early in the season.”
Shire called off their scheduled trip to Thurso last Friday afternoon.
Dunnett said: “We got an email from them about 3pm saying they were not coming and that they had informed Scottish Rugby. It didn’t say they didn’t have numbers.
“There were some earlier murmurings from them and it appears they had no intention of coming.”
The city side have been docked three points, while Scottish Rugby is investigating the reason for their no-show.
In Saturday’s other game in the North Conference, Gordonians Seconds edged to a 27-26 victory over visitors Mackie.
Caithness Seconds head north on Saturday to take on their Orkney counterparts in a Caley North 2 tussle which doubles as the first leg of the Lyall Cup.