“You can’t take anything for granted in this competition this year. I think we’ll see those topsy-turvy sort of results probably for the rest of the year so you just have to make sure that you front up each week with really great effort and remain consistent,” Watters said in a press conference before flying to the Gold Coast this morning.
The Saints are coming off a disappointing 8-point loss to Richmond and are now set to take on the Gold Coast Suns, who are looking for their first win for the season.
Suns captain, Gary Ablett Jnr, will be one to watch after racking up an impressive 53 touches on the weekend; something that has not gone unnoticed by the Saints.
“Any player that gets 50 plus possessions is a player that we need to watch and he’ll be a challenge for whoever gets him. But they’ve got a lot of potential stars in their line-up, so (we will) treat them all with respect.”
Tagger Clint Jones has been put in the mix to man up on the two-time premiership player, but Watters stated that manning up on the superstar may be a shared job.
“Could be Clint Jones, could be Sean Dempster, it could be five or six players that rotate through. Gary’s a champion, there’s no doubt about that.”
However, Watters is careful to not dismiss the rest of the squad going into the match.
“If you just focus on Gary, (Harley) Bennell will slide under the radar. They’ve got a lot of really talented players so Ablett’s one, but there are many others.”
The Saints have put a tough month of six-day breaks and interstate trips behind them, and are ready to take on the Suns at full speed.
“It’s been a really tough four or five weeks but it’s been a really, in some ways, enjoyable four or five weeks because the players are relishing the challenges that are coming their way,” Watters said.
“We’re not underestimating Gold Coast at all. They’ve run some really good sides up there so we’re on high alert and making sure it’s a good performance.”
“They’re professional, they’re preparing to play their best footy, no complaints from the playing group. They’re excited, they love Metricon Stadium, and they’re looking forward to the game.”
Watters hinted at a return of Raphael Clarke and Adam Schneider to the senior squad in the near future, but was sure to not discredit the current group.
“Raph Clarke, Schneids is pushing up, so they’ll force their way into the side at some point.”
“They’re good players but we’re respectful to the players that are also doing a pretty good job for us as well so we’ll have a training session this afternoon and see how a few players pull up as well.”
