MANGOPLAH-Cookardinia United-Eastlakes will take the "calculated risk" of playing a third trial match on the same day the rest of the Riverina League will battle for premiership points in round one.
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The Goannas will field a vastly different line-up as they chase their first flag since 1993, and coach Jeremy Rowe feels an extra practice game, given they have the bye in round one, is worth the gamble.
Trials can be a necessary evil, which the club was reminded of last week when forward recruit Chris York suffered a badly broken leg in the opening stages of last weekend's win over Holbrook.
MCUE will travel to Canberra for both their remaining trials, against Ainslie on April 10 and Eastlake on April 17.
"We've taken the calculated risk of playing a trial when the rest of the comp is playing round one," Rowe said.
"We've been a little bit slow out of the blocks the last two seasons and we wanted to give us every chance to start the season well.
"It does put you in that zone when you're vulnerable to sore bodies or injuries. But at the end of the day you can't prepare in fear.
"We only started our pre season in February, we gave them a genuine off season and we feel three games is the best way for us to prepare."
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The Goannas have recruited a handful of Canberra players, and Rowe is confident the extra game will help them hit the ground running for their season opener against defending premiers Wagga Tigers in round two.
"We knew it (Holbrook trial) was a starting point, we were bringing a lot of different people together for the first time with a lot of travelling players," he said.
"We put it bluntly that if we were still where we were in that game come round two we're going to lose, but it was a great starting point for us.
"Looking at the way our players were jelling in the last term from the first, we were picking things up well. Where (Queanbeyan recruit) Christian Palombi was receiving the ball and where (new ruckman) Sam De Sousa was making his taps you could see it was coming together.
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