New-look Owls eye top-two finish

Barking Owls will be hoping to overturn last season’s heartache after they lost the grand final to competition powerhouse Knights.

Owls will have a different-looking squad to last year but will still expect to be highly competitive.

Justin Benson said his side was expecting a tougher competition this year.

“There are some big improvers and good new teams to get past,” he said. “Knights look tough. It might be the best team the league’s had in a few years.”

Benson said his team was aiming for a top-two finish.

“We’re pretty well-rounded — we’ve got a good mix of players,” he said. “We’ll be in the mix again, hopefully pushing deep into the finals and trying to go one step further. Getting the ball moving and catching teams off guard is what will help us win”.

Owls will have to contend with some changes to start their season with Carwin Garcia returning, and Sam Finigan and Liam Murdock coming into a team that has lost Hamish McMorran, Arthur Jones and Kyle Smith in the off-season.

Barking Owls start their campaign against newcomers Railways Tigers tonight.