Bandits Can Not Be Discounted

PREVIEW Friday 26th July 2019, 3:53pm

by Graham Muncie

  Edinburgh Monarchs

Well it may have cooled down slightly off track in the last24 hours but the action on track is sure to be hotly contested as the Staggs Bar Monarchs host the Berwick Bandits in SGB Championship action on Friday night.

In previous years the Bandits would have been expected to be swept aside with some comfort but this is a different Bandits side and you only have to look at recent results between the two to see another tough task lies ahead.

The Bandits last two visits have seen a 1 point defeat and a 6 point victory and with tonight's line-up featuring 5 of the 7 that were involved on each of those occasions the Staggs Bar Monarchs will need to be at their very best.

The Bandits as has been the case for the last few years are full of experience at the top end with Aaron Summers and Kevin Doolan leading the way at number 1 and 3. The duo are perhaps not among the strongest of heat leader duos in the division when compared to the likes of Cook, Lawson, Nicholls, etc but with their Armadale pedigree they are more than capable of a double digit return on any visit. Backing up the Aussie duo will be Nikolaj Busk-Jakobsen the Dane enjoying a tremendous year as he inches close to the top of the Bandits averages.

Elsewhere there is further Armadale experience in the line-up with 2 former Monarchs Jye Etheridge and Coty Garcia sure to be among the action. Incident seems to follow the former around but on his day he is more than a capable performer and if he pops out the starts then he is tough to beat. The same can be said for Garcia, a key man as the senior reserve, Garcia has had mixed results at Armadale this year with a close to match winning 13 point performance in the Championship Shield match being followed up by a 1 point performance as a guest for Newcastle in the recent KO cup encounter.

Dany Gappmaier is the complete enigma in the Bandits line-up with home performances that make him look like one of the top men in the league being matched with away performances that leave a lot to be desired, this backed up by the stats which show a 9.38 home average and 3.79 away.

Completing the line-up is local youngster Leon Flint, Flint is making great strides in his debut year at this level having added close to a point onto his starting average, as expected the majority of these points have been gained around Shielfield rather than on the road but having visited Armadale once already improvement can be expected.

So a tough looking Bandits line up for the new look Monarchs to contend with. Last week's torrential downpours meant a delay for the Armadale faithful to see Sam return to the fold with tonight being the night for that.

Willie Lawson will partner Sam in heat 1 meaning a strong 3 and 4 partnership of Josh and Ricky that will look to outscore their Bandits counterparts healthily. Cameron continues at 5 after another strong Ipswich performance on Thursday night, while at reserve Connor will be hoping that his efforts will translate into points while young Matt Marson will look to continue his education at this level.

So a red hot night expected on track while the temperature stays strong off it, both teams are in search of points with the Monarchs knowing that any more home slip ups will probably spell the end of any playoff hopes while the Bandits know that their strong home form will count for nothing if that can't be matched with some away points also.

Can the Staggs Bar Monarchs fend off the battling Bandits; there is only place to be to find out as always that is trackside.

See you there!

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