FRUSTRATED Coolamon coach Matt Hard has suggested several changes could be made at the selection table this week as the Hoppers try to find form.
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Hard said it was “back to the drawing board” at Coolamon this week on the back of a disappointing 46-point loss to arch-rival Ganmain-Grong Grong-Matong last Sunday.
The Hoppers battles go back further than one week though, having enjoyed just one win from their past five games.
The form slump has seen them drop from top of the ladder to fourth spot and now under a lot of pressure to stay in the five.
Hard admits there is no easy solution to turning Coolamon’s season around.
“It’s still a work in progress,” Hard said.
“We’re just not playing the footy we want to play at the moment.
“We’re going to go back to the drawing board, we’ve got to look at everything without making drastic changes, I don’t think we need to make drastic changes.
“We’ve just got to get our confidence and belief back.”
While not wanting to make drastic changes, Hard said something has to give.
“We’re going to look very closely at selection this week, there is no doubt about that,” he said.
“We obviously don’t want to keep going down the path we’re going down at the moment.
“We’ll look to see who is available and maybe change things up a bit.
“Everything will get looked at.”
Coolamon hope Connor Neyland will be fit to return after spending the past six weeks sidelined with a hamstring injury.
Mitch McKelvie, Mark Crawford and Nathan Edyvean will not be expected back any time soon, while travelling forward Chris Ladhams is expected to return this week, at this stage.
A win over Narrandera at Kindra Park on Sunday is crucial to Coolamon’s finals hopes.
“This week is very important,” Hard said.
“You look back at the last time we played Narrandera and we were very lucky to get the win that day.
“They’ll come over pretty confident and why wouldn’t they, our results haven’t been outstanding.”
Hard has full faith in his playing group that things will turn around.
He said the effort and attitude has not been an issue.
“I can’t fault the boys, training has been good and attitudes fine,” Hard said.
“That’s half the battle, we know it’s not far away, we’ve just got to continue to work at it.”
Coolamon are at home at Kindra Park for the next two weeks, something that will help their cause.
The Hoppers host Narrandera on Sunday then Griffith on Saturday week.
