York City Knights looking forward to the weeks ahead (From York Press)

York City Knights looking forward to the weeks ahead

11:39am Thursday 27th August 2009

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“EVERYONE is buzzing and looking forward to the weeks ahead.”

Those were the words of York City Knights’ Aussie ace, Tom Haberecht, who cannot wait for the Championship One promotion play-offs to begin.

However, he is well aware his Knights team have a sizeable hurdle to overcome first, and says focus must be on Swinton, who come to Huntington Stadium a week on Saturday in the crucial last match of the regular season.

The Knights have no game this weekend, and Haberecht will spend Saturday following the fortunes of old mates in the Huddersfield team who face Warrington in the Challenge Cup final.

But he says he cannot wait to get back to action, especially on the back of Sunday’s 37-24 comeback win at promotion rivals Oldham, which followed the 64-0 trouncing of lowly London Skolars. Their previous game had been a 30-26 win at Swinton.

“Everything is looking good, and we’re really confident after the last couple of weeks,” said the 24-year-old.

“Since London Skolars everything has gone our way and we’ve played really well. The new boys have joined in well and that showed in the second half on Sunday.

“Everyone is buzzing and looking forward to the weeks ahead.

“Swinton is our next task, though. Everyone knows that. Hopefully things can go our way and we can end second or third.”

The Knights currently occupy third in the table and need at least a draw against Swinton to guarantee that finish.

Second place is possible but that would require Keighley losing to the struggling Skolars tomorrow, in a match that has been brought forward to the eve of the Wembley showpiece.

If those places remain intact, it would mean the Knights visit the Cougars in the qualifying play-off semi-final, whereby the winners go to the grand final and the losers get a second bite of the cherry against the side that comes through the rest of the knockout series.

Haberecht said: “We’ve had some close games with Keighley. The way things are going I think we’ve got some momentum now.

“If everything goes to plan and we play like we have, things are really looking up. I can’t wait.

“But we’ve got to beat Swinton first, and that’s the focus.”

In the meantime, Haberecht is hoping Huddersfield can win the Wembley final, toppling Warrington, who saw off York in the fourth round.

Haberecht played at Wests Tigers with Giants duo Brett Hodgson and Liam Fulton, and, when he first arrived in England, played for Castleford alongside Scott Moore, who is now at the Galpharm Stadium.

Huddersfield boss Nathan Brown was also Haberecht’s coach at St George Illawara Dragons.

Haberecht added: “I’m backing Huddersfield.

“I played with a couple of their players back in Australia. They’ve got some real quality.”

Haberecht is not going to London himself, rather he will watch the game the Australian way – over a barbecue with mates.

But he added: “Everyone raves on about it and says it’s a great weekend.

“If I’m here next year I will go.”

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