JACK STEARMAN wants his New Earswick All Blacks side to send out a message to the rest of the Pennine League Championship by toppling Methley Royals.

The unbeaten league leaders are the visitors to White Rose Avenue on Saturday and the All Blacks coach wants his men to be the first in the division to send them packing without the points.

All Blacks lost 34-30 when the two sides met at Methley in the early stages of the season and Stearman believes an in-form squad will be a much tougher proposition this time around.

“We have been in some good form and we only lost by four points there earlier in the year,” he said.

“I put that down to a tactical error on my behalf. It has been a learning curve. We set our stall out in the New Year that no team would do the double over us during the league season.

“A win would prove to ourselves that we could achieve that goal and it would send a message out to the rest of the league about our progress.”

New Earswick have won their last five games and are in fifth in the Championship table.

Stearman added: “We want to make it six wins. We know we can beat anyone and a victory would send a big statement. No-one would want to play us.”

Only Carl Barrow is missing from Stearman’s squad for the weekend and the coach believes the numbers he has at his disposal is an indication of the spirit on show at the club.

“Everyone wants to play for each other and they want to be playing every week,” he explained. “That makes my job harder at the weekend to pick the team.

“Carl has been superb for us all season and he will be a big loss but there a lot in the squad that are capable of filling in.”

In the first division, bottom of the table Selby Warriors take a trip to third-placed Brotherton Bulldogs in the Pennine League first division.

Selby Warriors ‘A’, meanwhile, entertain Moorends Thorne Marauders in the seventh division, while Sherburn Bears host Brighouse Rangers ‘A’ in division five.