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3rd April 2009, 7:00 WST
No macho bravado talk. This time, Drew Mitchell is keeping his lip zipped and profile dipped ahead of tonight’s Super 14 showdown with the unpredictable Queensland Reds at Subiaco Oval.
Mitchell last year belittled the Reds as nothing more than “15 minutes of macho bravado after the kick-off” and the angry Queenslanders responded with 80 minutes of high-octane grunt to upset the Force 29-12 in Brisbane.
Mitchell and the Force have more respect for their cross-continent rivals this year, not as a result of the one-off eruption last April which turned out to be the highlight of the Reds’ season but because Phil Mooney’s men have developed an adventurous high-risk, highreward style of game that is piling up points, if not always wins.
Even Mitchell, something of an Artful Dodger himself when he runs from the back, is impressed.
“The way they play is exciting,” he said yesterday. “They stand in the tackle to offload and they chance their hand.
“On their night, they can beat anyone.”
Queensland have used the creativity of Quade Cooper and Berrick Barnes to slice gaps in defences, and the Force will mirror this playmaking pairing with Matt Giteau and James O’Connor at No. 10 and No. 12 respectively.
Force outside centre Ryan Cross made the Wallabies No. 13 jersey his own last year, but Reds counterpart Digby Ioane is the form back in Australia and will use tonight’s match to make the strongest possible statement to the national selectors.
He’s scored three tries in six matches this season, whereas Cross’ last five-pointer in Super 14 was that which earned the Force a 15-14 win over the Bulls almost a year ago.
Last weekend, while the Force were recuperating in their midseason bye, the Chiefs punished the Reds’ lapses to pile on six tries and 50 points. Going wide brings rewards for the Reds but any mistake leaves them horribly exposed.
Full-back Mitchell and wingers Scott Staniforth and Nick Cummins will no doubt get chances to counterattack and gain good ground.
What the Force must do to avoid their slender finals hopes being snapped is eliminate the sloppiness which has frequently ruined opportunity this season.
“The big thing for me is to be decisive,” Mitchell said.
“Your first instinct is normally the right one and if you feel the run is on, then you must go for it without hesitation.”
DAVE HUGHES
http://www.thewest.com.au/default.as...ntentID=134003