COLLINGULLIE-Glenfield Park will be without a handful of their best players for Saturday’s showdown with Wagga Tigers.
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The reigning Riverina League premiers will be out to save their season when they host the undefeated ladder leaders at Crossroads Oval.
To make matters worse they will run out without assistant coach Kal Sykes and the talented Kennedy brothers – Jimmy, Dan and Nick.
Sykes suffered a fractured eye socket in last Saturday’s 28-point loss to Mangoplah-Cookardinia United-Eastlakes.
He will visit a specialist on Friday to learn whether he will play again this season.
“I’ve got a couple of fractures but I won’t know for sure what’s involved until I see the specialist on Friday,” Sykes said.
“I’m hoping I’ll be back playing in two weeks. I’ll find out on Friday whether surgery is required or not. If it is, I’ll be two or three weeks, but if I do then my season’s cooked I’d imagine.”
Adding to the Demons’ woes, the three Kennedys will be unavailable due to a wedding. Tim Haines will return, while under 17s players Ben Keith and Tim Banks are likely to gain a recall.
Collingullie-GP are two games plus considerable percentage outside the top five as they strive for a third consecutive premiership.
The Demons came from fifth position last year to clinch the flag and Sykes said the group is not prepared to give up the fight just yet.
“We weren’t this far back but it was about this time last year when we made a bit of a charge and strung a bunch of wins together,” he said.
“We can’t afford to drop too many more but we have been saying for the last few weeks in a row that it’s do or die and, win or lose, we still seem to come out being a chance of finals.
“As long as games are still being played, we won’t be giving up.”
Sykes added that a number of players will get the opportunity to stand up this week.
Wagga Tigers have their own injury concerns with midfielder Shaun Flanigan re-injuring his hamstring in last Saturday’s win over Leeton-Whitton.