Mona, St George’s set for mega Manning Cup clash

The Craig Butler-coached Mona High bowed out of the ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup competition at the semi-final stage last year, but the experienced coach is planning to go much further this season and he has revealed that the pre-game talks are different heading into a highly anticipated fixture against a St George’s College team that has won the trophy on 22 occasions.

Butler shared that he believes his team is not only wiser than last season but is a lot more focused on victory. He said that Mona head into today’s fixture with the edge, having defeated their opponents last season.

“The pre-game talks would be a lot different than last year because we have learnt and matured a lot and are a lot more focused on victory. The past is history and if you were to judge where we are now in terms of the world, a lot of people have also changed and Xerox was once the most powerful photocopier company in the world. We are now current, the leaders, and have had more dominance over St George’s College as we defeated them in the quarterfinals last year,” Butler said.

Butler added that as a group the squad is fully aware of what a title this season will do for the school community.

“My boys are not going to let me down as they know what this Manning Cup will mean to me. I know Mona will pull through and eventually bring home the cup,” he believes.

Marcel Gayle, assistant coach of St George’s, said that while he’s cognisant of the fact that every opponent brings a different style of play, he just wants his boys to go on the pitch and execute as each member is aware of the sacrifices that went into preparing for this season.

“We are looking forward to the encounter as we know the sacrifice and hard work that we’ve put in over the summer. We understand what is it that we have to do but every opponent is different and we just want to go out there and execute,” Gayle stated.

Both teams are looking to rebound from disappointing defeats in the Champions Cup quarterfinals on Tuesday. Mona were clipped 1-0 by Glenmuir High while St George’s were beaten 3-1 by Clarendon College.

The second semi-final will feature two teams that are on a high after impressive wins in the Champions Cup. Hydel High roared past Garvey Maceo High 4-2 while Kingston College defeated Dinthill Technical 3-2.

Orane.Buchanan@gleanerjm.com

Today’s Manning Cup semi-finals

3 p.m: Mona vs St George’s College (Sabina Park)

5:15 pm: Hydel vs Kingston College (Sabina Park)