Rugby returns to The Canal this weekend. The Bull Sharks men are two from two after a 24–7 win over Souths in tough conditions and will be looking to sharpen up against a strong GPS outfit.
The focus this week is on improving set piece, defence and finishing opportunities. Callum Simpson is also set to make his first grade debut.
In the women’s, it’s a milestone moment for the club, with Bond fielding a second team for the first time in its history as they take on GPS on Saturday.
With players returning from representative duties this week, adding depth to the Bull Sharks backline, the focus it to quieten a newly formed, highly competitive GPS women’s side.
Premier Grade
Last Round
Bond v Souths – Bull Sharks won 24-7
It was pretty scrappy, we made a lot of mistakes. It was a very hot day, with pretty greasy conditions. We couldn't really get a lot of continuity, Souths as predicted were pretty physical and put us under a bit of pressure. I never felt like we were in danger of losing the game, but we certainly didn’t take our opportunities.
Round 3 – Bull Sharks v GPS at The Canal
The opposition - They've got some good experience in the playmaking positions. They've got a really dangerous halfback and some old heads in 10 and 12, 5, 8 and inside centre. Ex-professional guys like Sam Johnson who’s has played 30 tests for Scotland and Bryce Hagerty at 10 has had a long professional career - they steer them around. They've got a pretty enthusiastic physical set of forwards, Charlie McCauley's playing their now, so they’ll be tough to handle.
The challenge - I think for us, at this time of the year, we’re just really trying to work on creating heaps of opportunities in every trial we face. That’s what will be focusing on this week.
Shuffling the magnets – Will Rua will be missing this week as he’s away, Akuila Qoro will possibly come back in. Luke Depiazzi is out with injury, but Colts 1 player and John Eales Rugby Excellence Scholar, Callum Simpson will make his debut for first grade which is exciting for him.
The focus – On our set piece, we had some problems there last week and we will continue to improve on our defence and finishing our opportunities.
Final word – We're just looking forward to playing at home. We had some tough conditions last week so it will be good to be back.
With Mick Heenan
Premier Women
Last round
Bond v Souths - Bull Sharks won 54-7
It started off really well; our start was the standout we scored close to 30 points within the first 15 minutes. Then fatigue set in which is a bit of an unknown for this program. The flow on effect of that was that we started to lose our shade of discipline. We have had a lot of inexperienced players come into the team with so many girls out with representative duties, so I think those girls found some home truths in terms of what they need to do if they want to be consistently selected.
Bond v GPS at The Canal
The opposition – This is GPS' first season back in the women’s comp after a few years. They have a good operator in Manny Cole-Manolis, he led Wests to the minor premiership last year. It’s not his first rodeo and he’s built a pretty strong program out there at GPS. They’ll be highly competitive – they've only played the one game, but it was a pretty comprehensive victory over Brothers.
The focus – This weekend is the first foray of our history making second grade team so we’re looking for two from two.
Shuffling the magnets – Michelle Curry is away with the Samoan women’s team, but we’ll be getting a couple of girls back from the Queensland 7s program - TJ Murry and Tiki Calliste. Matilda Vile is going to run out for our second-grade team and Evie Samson comes back.
Ones to watch – It will be interesting to see how the girls who comes back from the Reds program go.
The challenge – We are a bit weaker on the forward line with players out with injury. We’re constantly making changes because of unavailability but they’re a resilient group, they bite down on mouthguards, move on and focus on the next job.
Final words – To make sure we get two from two!
With Setu Naseri