For the first time in club history, the Bull Sharks will have four sides lining up in finals football this weekend.
It’s a particularly remarkable achievement for Premier Men and Second Grade, who had managed just one win between them after five rounds. Under the steady hand of head coach Mick Heenan, both squads have transformed their seasons, grinding their way back into contention and hitting August with form and with belief.
Colts 1, led by Rico Gear, have been one of the competition’s most consistent units — well-drilled, disciplined and capable of putting big scores on the board when opportunities present. Their ability to adapt on the fly and execute a smart kicking and counterattack game has been a hallmark of their success.
The Premier Women have undergone a major player turnover from the side that claimed the historic three-peat last year. But coach Lawrence Faifua has fast-tracked the development of the next generation. The result is a balanced squad with exciting new talent and seasoned finals campaigners, ready to chase a fourth straight title.
This weekend, the stakes are clear. It’s sudden death for the Premier Men and Second Grade while Colts and the Premier Women can punch a direct ticket to the grand final with victories.
Premier Men
Bull Sharks v Wests at Sunnybank on Sunday.
Last time we met
Bull Sharks lost 62-12
Assistant coach Sean Hedger described it as a calamity of epic proportions. We lost Jordan Lenac in the warmup. Then continued to have players injured at 3mins (Heremaia Murray), 8 mins (Dave Scollen), 11 mins (Hamish Roberts) and finally Dane Mason in the 20th min. By this time we were down by 30 points.
The opposition
Wests play a power game. We stood up to Norths last week, and they are a big side which gave us a perfect preparation for Wests who have some really big powerful players and a lot of guys who have been in professional programs. So, we're going to have to play really well to compete this week.
The focus
Wests have been absolutely dominant, they have won 11 games on the trot and they are not just winning, they are belting teams. So, you've got to defend really well. That's number one. As I’ve said they have really big, powerful players and they break a lot of tackles. So, if we can if we can stop them in their tracks, they have to go to a plan B, and that has to be the aim. We can’t just do what we did last time and that was run through us at will. We really need to muscle up.
Shuffling the magnets
Dane Mason is one who is in a bit of doubt. I think the other guys should be ok, Jordan Lenac, Dan Boardman and Dylan Rowe all missed last week with niggles, and they are pretty important players for us. We’re reasonably fresh and we get another day of recovery with the eight-day turnaround this week.
The challenge
With 2nd grade also in the finals, the challenge comes at selection. There is a balance to be struck with our bench players. At the end of the day, we will be up against a side with a fully fresh bench while we’ll have some players who have played second grade on Saturday.
How are we placed
I think the structure of the season has worked out for us. We had a bye three weeks ago and you generally hit your best form three or four weeks post- bye. We are playing some reasonable footy and there has been a couple of games that were close wins when we weren’t playing our best, but we found a way to win.
The final word
I think we have a better understanding of what our game is and what works for us than we did last time we played Wests. You can see that we have been a lot more methodical with the way we went about things in the last few weeks. That has been very pleasing, but there is no use peaking just to lose a final and we have got to respect that we're playing against a really good team and will have to play very well to win.
With Mick Heenan
Premier Women
Bull Sharks v Wests at Sunnybank on Sunday
Last time we met
Bull Sharks lost 17-14
It was a heartbreaker as Wests scored in the dying minutes to snatch the victory.
The opposition
They are a good side who beat us in the very first game. We weren’t able to control the ball for long enough periods.
How are you placed
I think we have really improved our skillset. We had a lot of inexperienced players in the side last time. And the younger ones who are still with us, they have gained a lot of experience throughout the season. We play a lot smarter than when we first faced Wests. Our shape and the way we structure our attack is a lot better.
The focus
Pick the right options and execute on the day.
The challenge
We really need to focus on that consistency in building phases. We have a tendency to be doing really well and then lose focus and maybe it’s a dropped ball or a wrong option.
Shuffling the magnets
Zara Colless, has some illness in the family, so we will wait to see how she is going. But regardless, we will field out strongest team.
How to beat them
We have got to be better them in the contact battles. Defence is a major one for us, and the just winning the contact battles is going to be a massive plus. If we can win those, and on the back of that pay smart football, that is how we beat them. We have more scoring fire power than them because our shape gives us a lot of options.
The final word
I think we have got enough experience there that will guide us through. We probably have half the team who have been there in big finals before.
With Lawrence Faifua
Colts 1
Bull Sharks v Easts at GPS on Saturday.
Last time we met
Bull Sharks won 42-36
East have been a good team for the last two years. They beat us last year and they beat us earlier this year. And then we beat them last time when our game management and willingness to trust the game plan and stick to it was good for us. They were both great games. It is always an arm wrestle against them.
The opposition
They are a tough side, well coached. They are actually a bit like us in terms of how they play the game. And they are also very similar in the make-up of their side. They have a very good 10, a strong running 12 and a big number eight and they know how to use them to their advantage.
The challenge
Discipline is huge. If you can deny them entry into the A zone it goes a long way towards the result. I think it is important to look after the 10 and 12, they get a lot of their go forward from those players.
The focus
They've got a couple of blokes that are pretty good ball carriers. We found last time that if we could take those players out of the game a little bit, they resorted to kicking the ball back and that gives us a chance to do something with it. It will be pretty similar on the weekend. We’ve probably got a stronger counterattack game, So, we will look to counter first, and then we’ll have a look at our kicking game. That’s part of the game we have done a lot of work on, our game management and decisions when to run, kick or pass and that has bene very helpful to us.
Shuffling the magnets
We think we are going to be pretty close to full strength. It might just be about managing a player or two.
How to beat them
The chop tackle is going to be crucial. You want to take their time and space away and that first tackle has got to be a chop, to get them on the ground quickly. A bit of disruption at breakdown is also going to be helpful to slow down the ball a bit.
The final word
The only thing that might be different is there's obviously a little bit more pressure in terms of the occasion. So, we'll probably focus a little on how we can deal with that. But this week will mostly be about scenario planning, because we know what we are capable of, we know the opposition, so we don't need to get the boys too excited. They'll be excited naturally.
With Rico Gear