It was a clash they had identified as potentially season-shaping, now it has become season-saving for Mareeba State High. Watch their clash with Mackay State High LIVE on Tuesday.
Now, it’s become must-win.
The Tablelanders traded early jabs with newcomers St Augustine’s College in their season-opener at Davies Park last week before they succumbed 36-4 to the Cairns school.
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Only the top placegetter in Pool B will progress to the finals, and the weight of the 32-point loss means every game has become all the more important for Mareeba.
But coach Clinton Cifuentes won’t be piling that pressure on his young side.
The focus will be on living and playing in the moment, and finding the way to avoid being overawed by the occasion.
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“We had a good talk about that game, and about not letting the occasion get to us,” Cifuentes said.
“They must’ve played that game in their heads about 50 times before the time actually came to play.
“We don’t have any injuries, a few legs might be a bit sore so we had some light runs and talked about a few things, like our intensity.
“We had a bit of a brutal catch-up and chat about the game, they know what went wrong and our aims for Mackay.”
Jaffahl Skillington scored two tries in Mackay’s 30-4 win against Payne Cup newcomers Holy Spirit College in a Sugar City derby last week, and are keen to improve to 2-0 and at least a shared lead of the Pool B table.
Mackay beat Mareeba in their first clash last year, and the Tablelanders are keen to exact revenge as they search for their first win in the competition.
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