On the back of successive losses to Albury (28-16) and Junee (20-18), Gundagai has slipped to fifth on the ladder ahead of a challenging clash with Cootamundra at Les Boyd Oval on Sunday.

Gundagai’s position is in stark contrast to last year when the Tigers lost only one of their 18 games on the way to their first grand final victory in 32 years.

Six days out from the serious test against Cootamundra, Smart has declared he is “confident” Gundagai is ready to strike back.

Taking stock of Gundagai’s recent performances, Smart revealed there is no reason for alarm.

“It’s not as if we’re falling off tackles or they’re running around us,” Smart said.

“We’re just not holding the football, completing our sets and kicking the ball into the corners.”

With Gundagai fresh from the bye last weekend, Smart believes the timing is perfect for the Tigers to show they have put their football house in order.

“We’ve probably been pushing too hard for the killer blow,” Smart said.

“We’ve addressed that and I’m confident it will be a lot different.”

Significantly, Gundagai has been within reach of beating Albury and Junee in the past two games.

The Tigers bolted to a 16-4 lead against Albury in the opening 17 minutes, but didn’t score another point.

Likewise, Smart’s team had their chance to nail Junee as the game was locked at 18-all with minutes to go.

Eventually, however, Junee rode home on a late penalty goal skipper Matt Hands to sink the Tigers.

 Despite his optimism about Gundagai’s ability to rebound, Smart is not taking any liberties with Cootamundra.

“They’re definitely going to be tough to beat,” Smart said.

“The new players seem to be going well.”

Coming off a 32-24 win over Brothers a fortnight ago, the Bulldogs blew a 14-0 lead before losing 34-18 to Temora on Sunday.

The loss has since been clouded in drama as Cootamundra fume over refereeing decisions.

Smart, meantime, has named Josh Smith to replace injured second rower Cameron Woo on Sunday, while there is also a doubt over the fitness of centre Damian Willis with an arm problem.

“There are actually a few boys I’ve got to check,” Smart said.

“I’ll know more after training tomorrow night (Tuesday).”

At Cootamundra, centre Simon Liensche is under a cloud with a knee injury.