QUEANBEYAN Whites coach Adam Fahey said he was "lost for words" and proud of his men for stepping up and destroying the Wests Lions to finish in second place on the John I Dent Cup ladder last Saturday.
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While they were scrappy and flimsy in defence at times, the Queanbeyan men put on a show with two intercept tries in their 47-27 demolition of the Belconnen side.
And remarkably the Canberra Royals were able to claim a bonus point 38-24 win over the fancied Gungahlin Eagles, which handed the Whites a second chance in the upcoming finals series, and a major semi-final meeting with the Tuggeranong Vikings.
But while Fahey knows his men will get that second chance, he plans on ending Tuggeranong's dynasty in the competition and will not let his men relax just because they do have a second chance.
"We've just got a group of young blokes who just keep stepping up- everything we ask of them- and they go above and beyond," said Fahey.
"I suppose our job now as a club is to keep their feet grounded, come up with a plan, and see what we can do against Tuggeranong."
"It's an opportunity to go into a grand final, and not an opportunity to have a second chance."
With an abundance of youth, including halves Mitch Douch, Billy Chalker, Josh White, fullback Brendan Spears and centre Keith Morgan, Fahey said it was important for him to give them simple focuses for the Vikings clash.
"The message from half time against Wests and onwards is composure, plain and simple. We stay composed, hang onto the ball, and you'll be surprised what outcome you get," he said.
He said using his men's great line speed and solid defence against Tuggeranong would be key to them taking a win and a ticket to the grand final next Saturday at Viking Park.
"We didn't turn the game around against Wests just playing phase by phase, it was through sheer line speed in defence with two intercept tries," he said.
Fahey likened his upcoming opponents in the Vikings to the Melbourne Storm National Rugby League side that dominated the competition between 2006 and 2012, and said his men had the utmost respect for the type of rugby they can play.
"They're a championship side. I've got the utmost respect for them as a football side because they find ways to win, they know how to win, and they're big game specialists," he said.
And when asked exactly how the Whites need to topple the Vikings, Fahey was very simple.
"We need to score more points than them," he said.
Kick-off on Saturday will be at 3.15pm.