The Riverina Rhinos will play three games in the space of a week starting with their road trip to Canberra to take on the Monaro Panthers on Saturday afternoon.
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They will then return home for an Anzac Day clash with the Panthers this time in the FFA Cup at Southside Leagues Club Oval and then will head back to Canberra to take on Canberra FC at Deakin Stadium.
Coach Gabriel Abdala feels his side’s work in the preseason will hold them in a good position for the busy period.
“This is what the preseason is all about, preparing ourselves to play in the big games,” he said.
“It is three games in a week, but I’m confident the preseason work will see the players' bodies be able to repair in a short amount of time.”
Abdala knows they are heading into a tough test over the next week but is confident the side is in a good headspace going in.
“We still have the extra motivation from the win over Gungahlin a couple of weeks ago,” he said.
“Coming into this weekend’s game, it will give us a bit of insight into the game on Anzac Day, and they are three big games in taking on Monaro twice and the Canberra FC.”
While the Rhinos will welcome back one of their key defenders, they will lose another to suspension after a red card in their last game.
“After having a chat with the players I think Jacob Donadel will be the only player missing this weekend,” he said.
“We have players that will be able to seamlessly slot into his position. We have Jordan Sartor coming back from suspension, but we also have other players from within the squad who could also come in.”
Monaro is coming into the clash with confidence after defeating Canberra Olympic recently, but Abdala is still confident in his side to get the win.
“There have been some interesting results in the opening rounds,” he said. “Regardless we are looking to build on our early win and maintain our momentum onto next Wednesday.”