Warriors at Sharks – Preview

Sunday December 4th – Week 5 at Hull Sharks

The #5 ranked Sheffield Hallam Warriors (3-0) will be in Hull to take on the #9 ranked University of Hull Sharks (3-0) on Sunday, in what some are describing as “the game of the year… so far”.

“We’re looking forward to it,” Warriors Head Coach, Richard Batty said of the game. “Hull know what to expect from us, we played them last year. It was a good hard game, we know what to expect from them.”

The encounter this season is the seventh meeting between the teams, the fourth in four years and may possibly be the last regular season contest as we face BUAFL realignment in the already overcrowded Northern Conference.

When these two teams locked horns last year, it turned out to be one of the closer games on the Warriors schedule, a 36-0 victory. After losing to Hallam, the UCH found their identity and a strong vein of form resulting in a run all the way to the Challenge Trophy final.

Building on the success of last year the Sharks have started this year strong behind some staunch defensive performances holding Lancaster, Bradford and Carnegie to only 10 points total. UCH is trying for its first Playoff appearance since the formation of BUAFL.

The key will be whether the Shark and Warrior offences can move the ball against their opposing numbers.
The Sharks offence is yet to click but boast a formidable defence of their own, shutting out a previously high flying Carnegie offence in a defensive affair last week.

On the other hand, Hallam have scored more points than any team in the country as we approach the midpoint of the season, Hull will need a similar performance if they are to come away with a win in this one.

Everyone so far on Hallam’s schedule has melted down when things began to go south, can Hull hit big plays and force Hallam to make critical mistakes early enough and often enough to build a lead that allows its running game to keep MVP candidate Danny Pyle and the Warrior offence off the field?

“They’re a good team, we know what to expect from them. They’re a hard working unit and they do the simple things well,” Warriors coach Richard Batty said. “They run the ball well, they pass quite well and what we have to do is make sure we’re in a position to take care of business when the opportunity arises.”

Have Hull improved from last year or have they played weaker opponents so far? After managing only 85 yards total offence vs Carnegie, can they move the ball on a formidable Warrior defence led by Ball-Hawking Linebacker Mike Whitston, holding Huddersfield to a single offensive yard last week?

On paper this should be a comfortable Warrior win, they’ve scored 60ppg more and conceded 3ppg less, however, Sunday is not a coronation, but a football game. And while coronations are decided ahead of time and carefully scripted, football games are not.

The Betting Line:
Dbl Coverage Predicts: Hallam by 30

Related posts:

1. Warriors @ Hull Sharks Match Report
2. Warriors at Hawks – Preview

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