What do you feel about the Navy SC win at Nittawala?
This is the first time Kandy lost at ‘Nittawala’ after thirteen years, and I am very happy about the situation.
What do you think the difference was this time?
I think we were physically really prepared, and the condition of the boys was at a good standard. And I believe on the day we were better than them and both our tactical and technical plays interlinked towards contributing to the performance.
The psychological level of the boys was very good as well, we went into the game with a tough mentality and our forwards dominated theirs which was a key component of the win.
How will this affect your title bid?
Well, even after this victory we will plan match by match. As a coach we need to think about a lot of tactical play and other analysis that would support each game. After the Kandy game, we have given a day’s and we will start preparing for the next game soon after. It all depends on how effective the periodization plan works.
Who were the key players that enforced this win?
Firstly, special mention should go to our foreign players, the Samoan and Fijian who played extremely well in the game. I am also very happy with ‘Chichi’ (Rohitha Rajapakse) who had a very good game, and I believe it was his best performance so far along with Namal Rajapakse as well. Our pack including Achala, Swarnathilake, Soyuru Anthony, Chandimal were outstanding as well.
Do you think the fortress at ‘Nittwala’ was could be broken?
Well, it depends on the team. They have had an unbeaten record for the last 11-12 years and you need to plan very well. Their crowd support is amazing, and that acts as a huge reason for some teams who fail to win at Nittawala.
