A spot in the top four is the prize for the winner when the Bull Sharks’ Premier Men head up the M1 to take on GPS on Saturday.
Colts 1 are sitting second on the ladder and will be looking to build on a solid performance against Sunnybank last week.
The Premier Women take on the Gold Coast Eagles in the last round of the Hospital Challenge. Coach Lawrence Faifua wants his squad to seize the last chance to bed down their gameplan before embarking on their Premier Rugby title defence next round.
Premier Men
Bull Sharks v GPS at Yoku Road.
Last time we met.
Rd 14, 2024 at GPS.
Draw 36-36
That game felt a bit like a loss because we led for so much of the game. We did some really good things in attack to score 36 points but there are a few key areas of the game where we are struggling. Driving mauls close to our line were the Achilles Heel. GPS didn’t beat us anywhere else on the field except when they had lineout close to our try line. That’s where their scoring came from and that was the difference.
The opposition
Jeeps are just ahead of us on the table. They have had some good wins, but they have also suffered some terrible losses. So they have been inconsistent. They had a bad loss against Wests, but the week before they were outstanding. So we have to prepare for their best which is very good.
The challenge
They are pretty efficient in the forwards. They aren’t a particularly big side, but they have a very strong maul and score a lot of maul tries. And they have a lot of pace in the backs and move the ball around a bit. At their best they are hard to handle.
The focus
System wise our defence has been good. But we have been missing a few tackles which is individual technique.
Shuffling the magnets
Rhys Sheriff is nursing a calf issue. He won’t train this week so we will see how he pulls up.
The final word
We have another big game this week because all of these games in this patch we are in are against teams who are around us on the table, so they are double point games. If we win this week we will be in the top four.
With Mick Heenan
Colts 1
Last time we met
Rd 14, 2024 at GPS
Bull Sharks won 45-10
The Bull Sharks managed the game well and stuck to the game plan. There was a strong wind that we had to play into, and we managed to be up at half time. We knew we had a big advantage in the second half with the wind and we used it very well with Cal Simpson pinning GPS into the corners. From there our line out and forwards working around the corner troubled GPS and we picked up a few tries this way.
The opposition
They are a capable side. They have a good No. 10 and a big lock Avery Thompson who is just like Fergus Gillan. So they have a good set piece and line out. In the scrum we probably should do alright against them.
The challenge
They beat us at home by 35 points last year, but we just had one of those games where nothing went well. And of course, we beat them convincingly when we played them at their ground. But ti shows us that if we are not switched on, they are good enough to capitalise on that.
The final word
We are sitting in second, but we can definitely sense the competition is getting a little bit tighter. A couple of those bottom teams are figuring things out a little bit, so it is going to be interesting over the next couple of weeks.
With Rico Gear
Premier Women
Bull Sharks v Gold Coast Eagles at Eagles.
The opposition
Former Wallaroo Cobie Jane Morgan, an ex-Bull Shark, plays for them and there are a couple of other older experienced ladies who will be trying to upset the apple cart. And the rest of them we expect to be young and enthusiastic.
Shuffling the magnets
We will try and pick our strongest team. Paris Mohr has hurt her neck and we won’t risk her. Abby Smith will move into the second row and we’ll bring Phoenix Todd into blind side flanker role.
The focus
This is the last game before the QPR starts and we really want to start displaying the consistency we’re going to need to defend the turtle, not just in team selection but also in our performances, the way we play and our decision making.
The final word
We have used the Hospital Challenge to have a look at a lot of younger players and we have narrowed it down to about 28 girls we think can play at the top level. So we will try to have a regular squad of about 23 players with five more who will come up and down depending on form and injury.
With Lawrence Faifua