Kadavu banks on backline speed

Kadavu will look to build on the lessons from their narrow loss to Malolo when they take on the Lautoka Maroons in round five of the Skipper Cup com­petition on Saturday.

The 14-18 defeat last week has giv­en the young Kadavu side valuable experience as they prepare to face another strong provincial outfit.

With Lautoka boasting a powerful forward pack, Kadavu head coach Solomone Nute knows his players will need to be disciplined and effec­tive in their phase play.

"It's another preparation to rein­force our training to match our op­ponents," he said.

"We believe in our boys and we trust our system."

Nute expects a tough encounter against the Maroons.

"They have big forwards while our forward pack is a little bit light, so we just have to manage our phase play," he said.

"We hope to give Lautoka a good game this Saturday."

Nute said Malolo's Skipper Cup success last season had also provid­ed motivation for his players.

"They lost six games in a row and after that they remained consistent with their performance until they won the final," he said.

"We treat every game as a final." The coach has been encouraged by the confidence his players have gained from facing top provincial teams throughout the competition.

"They believe in themselves and that they can be consistent with their performance throughout the Skipper Cup this year," he said.

"The positive takeaway from our loss against Malolo is that we can match top teams, especially with the speed from our backline."

Nute also acknowledged the sup­port from the van.ua and the team's fans.

"We trust the boys that they can do the job," he said.

"We invite the supporters to come out in numbers to support the team."