Wests await a Bull Sharks rugby cohort fresh off a clean sweep Saturday against Sunnybank.
All Bond's sides can expect a physical challenge against one of the competition’s toughest opponents.
Bond will look to carry winning momentum into a crucial round where challenging weather and rotating line-ups will play a big part.
Premier Men
Last Round
W 45 - 20 against Sunnybank
The Opposition
Wests is a really strong opponent, especially as they are off a very bad loss. We are expecting them to have a big bounce back in them.
The Challenge
Wests are always a physically big and intimidating team, so we will have work cut out for us to keep up with that.
Shuffling the magnets
Some rotating of the front row, as we do. Dane Mason is being elevated. He played a lot of first grade last year, but was unfortunately injured at a very untimely moment and didn’t get to participate in much of the finals. This is his return to first grade after a couple of great performances in the reserves.
Ones to watch
It's always good to have our Reds players back again. We’ve got Heremaia Murray in our back line. Dion Samuela, as full back, will be much better for his first game last week.
The Focus
Coming out of last week’s game, our focus is still on controlling the ball for longer periods of time.
Final words
Looking forward to another strong game - the conditions could be counting against us a bit, but we will give it our best.
-with Sean Hedger
Colts 1
Last Round
W 33 – 10 against Sunnybank
Our second halves have been really good in our last few games, and that's been a good confidence boost for us.
The Opposition
Wests are a quality team, and we understand that. We had a good session on Tuesday and ticked off what we had to kick off. We’ve got some interesting weather conditions to deal with, but we will adapt. There are other teams in similar situations.
The Challenge:
The opposition will present challenges as they are a good team - we’ve got a plan to overcome that, but we are under no illusions. I think our best rugby can hold up; we’ve prepared well.
Shuffling the magnets:
We welcome back Daniel Wells, who provides a lot of energy, enthusiasm and grunt work. To have our Australian Under-20 boys go around again is always pleasing. We are very happy with where we are at in terms of the team.
Ones to watch
Kobi Nouransary, our half-back, has been playing really well. He’s young, but he’s really stepping up and thriving in this environment.
The Focus
We’ve identified areas we need to improve each week, but I’m quietly confident. We are up against a really strong opponent, so we need to respect that.
Final words
Sunshine would be nice - bring on the sun!
-with Adam Fahey
Premier Women
Last Round
W 36 – 17 against Sunnybank
The Opposition
Wests are on top of the ladder. We are second. It would be nice to have our Reds players, but they have their own commitments for the representative program, so it will just be managing the shifting of the magnets again, which we have been doing all season. This week will be no different.
The Challenge
Wests are the benchmark of the competition. They haven’t lost a game and they’ll be high on confidence. It’s the last match of the round, home ground advantage for them, so a lot of things are in their favour. We’ve got to nail our preparation, which is difficult with the lack of field time due to conditions. We are going in a little bit blind, but we will just control what we can control.
Shuffling the magnets
There are five or six out of our starting line-up, so over a third of the starting line-up will be different. A couple of injuries from last weekend as well, so it’s just all hands on deck.
Ones to watch
With so many people out, we are just looking for everyone to step up and try to replicate what our Reds girls provided last week.
The Focus
Get the win to try to keep the confidence high within the group. Also, we want to cement that top two spot at the halfway stage of this competition.
Final words
It will be good to get out and finally play some footy. Praying to the weather gods for some sunshine.
-with Setu Naseri