Premier Men
Last time they met Preliminary Final at GPS
Brothers won 42-17.
They are the reigning premiers, they are very good at the basics and have a lot of attacking weapons. They play with a lot of confidence which comes from having success. It is a good test for us to see where we are really at against legitimate premiership contenders.
What’s changed:
Our training is becoming a lot more consistent, and we are getting through more work. We’re also adapting to the training load which has taken us a bit of time. Whether that’s enough to beat a team like Brothers remains to be seen but we are heading in the right direction.
On reflection:
It was a good day for us on Saturday and we are entitled to feel good about the fact we beat a good team in GPS in tough conditions. Especially our ability to claw our way back from 10-0. We showed some fight which is always a good starting point.
Shuffling the magnets:
We haven’t had many injuries in the past couple of weeks, so we are starting to become a bit more settled at selection. Rhys Sherrif will start again this week and we welcome George Blake back from the Reds at loosehead. We also get Lukas Ripley back from the Force to play outside centre, so they are some quality inclusions. The rest of the team stays pretty stable.
The focus:
We are not focussing on the opposition too much at this stage. Right now with where we are in our development we are spending the majority of our time on how we want to play. We are trying to nail down our execution in attack and we are continuing our focus on our aggression and discipline in defence.
With Mick Heenan
Premier Women
Rd 12, 2023 at The Canal.
Bond won 62-5.
I think they are a lot better side than that score shows. When they are able to field their best team, they can be very strong.
Welcome back:
Wallaroo Maddi Schuck is back from injury and will play her first game for the club this year. She’s an experienced front rower who will help our young forwards a lot.
The opposition:
They have a strong forward pack and there is a girl playing out in the centres who is a very damaging ball runner. We’ll have to be very conscious of her. It’s going to be a tough game.
One to watch:
Wallaroo Mel Wilks will be back from injury, and she always adds to our attacking prowess. However, Brothers have a very good centre of their own so that will be a key battle that will go some way in determining the outcome of this game.
The focus:
The lineout has been struggling a little bit and we have done some work on that this week.
With Shannon Symon.
Colts 1
Last time they met:
Rd 12, 2023 at The Canal
Brothers won 31-11
They won the comp last year and were regularly beating teams by 20 or 30 points. They had some Wallaby U20s playing for them and were just a really dominant side. They are a different side this year and although still a very tough opponent, I think there is a great opportunity for us to knock them off if we play our best football.
What’s new:
Director of Coaching Grant Anderson has been really hands on in the past couple of sessions and we are already noticing some improvements. We have worked a lot on our lineout and maul and his insights have been invaluable to your young forwards.
Shuffling the magnets:
We welcome back Harry Bell who started for the Premier Men last week. He brings energy and aggression, and we sorely missed him last week so he will be a very important inclusion for us.
Harry Ole also comes into the staring side having played up in second grade last week. He’s a lock who brings a lot of physicality.
The focus:
We lacked physicality and aggression last week and it costs us, and need to fix that to win this weekend. Harry and Ollie help with that but we really need every player to bring that approach on Saturday.
The opposition:
Brothers are a very well organised side. Their set piece is a real strength, and they have on eof the biggest forward packs in the competition, so we know we have to be ready for that.
With Rico Gear