Mareeba Gladiators coach Rod Jensen wants his side to show consistency after their impressive start to the 2013 Bendigo Bank CDRL A Grade season.

Jensen, who is in his first coaching role since retiring as a Northern Pride and North Queensland Cowboys legend, has led Mareeba to a four-game unbeaten run and third in the CDRL ladder.

The Gladiators will hope to continue their fine form this Sunday when they travel to Smithfield to take on Ivanhoes, and Jensen is looking for another solid performance.

“We’ve definitely had a tough start to the season, in what I’d call top-of-the-table clashes against the likes of Kangaroos, Brothers, Edmonton and Southern Suburbs,” the 34-year-old said.

“I’ve been pretty happy with how it’s gone so far – we did a lot of hard work in pre-season and the boys have gelled pretty quickly.

“But for me, it’s now about showing consistency, which is what is required to win this comp.

“A lot of clubs in the past have done well for spells but then dropped away, and I don’t want that to happen to us.”

Jensen said Ivanhoes would provide another tough test after impressing this season under fellow new coach Alan Benn.

“They’ve definitely put in some good performances, and I know that a few of their scorelines don’t reflect the games, so it will be a tough clash,” said Jensen.

“But we haven’t lost away from home yet this season, and we’ll be looking to keep that record going this weekend.”

The good news for Jensen is that Mareeba have no injury concerns going into the Ivanhoes game.

“Our injury-free run is probably another reason why we’ve been going so well,” he added.

Second-placed Suburbs will be looking to consolidate their position near the top of the ladder when they take on in-form Innisfail Leprechauns at Alley Park.

“Suburbs are a really good footy side and very consistent,” said Leprechauns coach Bevan Walker.

“They’ve got a good coach and a good group of players, so it’s going to be tough.”

In other games, Atherton face a tough assignment to win their first game of the season when they travel to face reigning premiers Brothers at Stan Williams Oval on Sunday.

Edmonton Storm will aim to continue their resurgence with a fourth straight win against Mossman, who will be banking on their strong home form at Mossman Showground on Saturday night to get the job done.

Tully will want to get back to winning ways after their loss against Edmonton last week when they hosts Yarrabah Seahawks, also on Saturday.

The Seahawks will be full of confidence however after securing two wins on the bounce against Innisfail and Atherton.

Top-of-the-table Kangaroos have a bye.
 
2013 Bendigo Bank A Grade – ROUND 7
Saturday 27 April
Mossman v Edmonton, 7pm KO (Mossman Showground)
Tully v Yarrabah, 7pm KO (Tully Showground)

Sunday 28 April
Brothers v Atherton, 3pm KO (Stan Williams Oval)
Suburbs v Innisfail, 3pm KO (Alley Park)
Ivanhoes v Mareeba, 3pm KO (Smithfield)

BYE – Kangaroos