Unbeaten De La Salle out to prolong Dapto misery after month-long hiatus

Last year's minor premiers are 2-0 and coming off a last-start 40-16 touch-up of title contenders Wests in round two, but are yet to set foot on the park in May.

Their scheduled clash with Collegians was the only washed out match of round three, while heavy rain also wiped out all round-four fixtures and last week was blacked for the annual City-Country weekend.

It leaves new coach Trent Anderson's side two games in the hole in terms of scheduling, and desperate for some on-field action ahead of Saturday's showdown with the win-less Canaries.

While it shapes as a reboot, Anderson said the big victory over the Devils is not the worst place to pick things up from.

"You just want to try and maintain the momentum out of the positive wins that we've had, particularly against Wests," Anderson said.

"They've got a solid team, a really solid roster there, and the first 20 minutes was very physical, they're a big side. We lost [prop] James Hasson in the first minute, and we lost three players on the day leading into the game.

"There was a fair bit of disruption and the guys handled that really well. Our younger guys were just great in the middle of the field, they just owned the middle of the field and the ruck.

"[The break's] been frustrating, but we're lucky that we can go and do stuff with the Sharks and the (Newtown) Jets when the fields are shut, so we've probably had one session a week with the Sharks and the Jets in terms of scrimmaging.

"Damon Smith got a head knock in that game, so he's been able to rest for a month. I was going to rest him after that anyway, so with the break he's been able to recover.

"Sometimes football's about who handles the chaos the best."

Dapto are yet to pinch competition points off De La since the Shire giant joined the Illawarra competition, but have been close on numerous occasions, something that hasn't slipped Anderson's mind in the lead-up.

"They had us at home the last time we played them and we just clicked into gear the last 15 minutes and ran away with it," Anderson said.

"They've got big middles, they've got some experience there, so we won't be taking them lightly at all, that's for sure.

"You can't do that to anyone in this competition, every single game is tough and physical."

The Canaries have been far better in 2024 than a win-less ledger would suggest.

Blake Wallace's side were within a chip-kick of victory over Collegians in round one despite playing 71 minutes with 12 men following the send-off of key forward Justin Faughlin.

They lost both Joey Leilua and Tom Freebairn to the sin-bin against Thirroul in round three, only to post two tries in the final nine minutes to snatch a draw with the reigning premiers.

Barring a lacklustre showing against Corrimal in round two, Wallace said his side's form shows they remain well in finals reckoning despite its current lowly position on the ladder.

"There's no panic stations from my end at all," Wallace said.

"I'm more than confident in the group that I've got and they're confident in themselves, and so they should be.

"They've done it hard against the two teams that were in the grand final last year and were unlucky not to come away with two wins there.

"We got what we deserved against Corrimal, but the boys are confident, they know they can hang.

"It's just one of those things where you've got to bridge that gap between your best and your worst to make it as close as you can because anyone can beat anyone in this competition.

"You want to play against the best teams and you want to match it with the best teams. We know where we want to get to, we know who we are, and this is an opportunity to continue that this weekend."

The Canaries will be undermanned, with key forwards Leilua and Tyrone Edwards joining Faughlin in the suspended column, but Wallace will draw on the depth that has been his top priority since taking the reins at his junior club.

"I won't go too far into the suspension side of things because I might get myself in trouble," Wallace said.

"Common sense isn't a thing in rugby league anymore, but it's just next man up now. Whatever 17 I put out on the park, I'm confident we can get a job done. It's just an opportunity for guys.

"A guy like Chris Ravarua made his debut first-grade debut a few weeks back and was outstanding, and he's still in the team because of it.

"There's opportunities there, so let's see what they do with that opportunity."

Elsewhere, Wests take on Collegians at Parrish Park, while Thirroul host Corrimal at Gibson Park on Sunday.