Ben Daley has called on Perth rugby supporters to turn out at nib Stadium on Saturday to show there is “force behind the Force”.
With the speculation surrounding the club’s future still dragging on, Daley made a passionate plea for a big crowd to turn out for Saturday night’s clash with the Chiefs.
“We want to make sure that the Force field, as we call it, is something that we hold steadfast in our results,” he said.
“Hopefully we get a really big crowd out there and show everyone, the general public, that we have force behind the Force and that we have a really big supporter base.”
The Force are fresh off the bye but their last start win against the Kings burns in the back of the mind.They trailed by two converted tries with 15 minutes to play but stormed home late to secure a 46-41 victory.
It was a game Force sides of old would have thrown away but the Kings could barely tie the Chiefs’ shoes and the challenge that awaits the men from Perth is far greater this weekend.
The Chiefs may be slightly vulnerable as they are homebound after a two week tour of South Africa but their win against the Cheetahs at the weekend was a superb comeback effort after trailing 24-0 with 22 minutes gone.
“That seems to be the theme for all the New Zealand sides – if they start poorly they come back, if they start well, they keep on keeping on,” Daley said.
“We have to make sure that we’re starting well – they’re coming back from a two week tour of South Africa so we will make sure to put them in the hurt locker.
“They’re a tremendous side – forwards and backs – and they’ve got game breakers there.“We can’t have what we did last week against the Kings and have lapses of concentration and have three or four tries scored against us.”
While the ARU’s decision as to who is removed from next year’s competition will place great emphasis on financial sustainability, winning never hurts.
Daley and the Force are mindful of that.
“We want to control what we can control and that is playing football,” Daley said.
“The guys are trying to immerse themselves in training and just trying to keep it as light as possible.
“We’re football players, not sports governing experts, so to get out there this weekend is the best distraction of all.“
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“Obviously winning is our goal and if we keep winning then that definitely takes the pressure off.”