It is going to be a huge day at The Canal with our QFA side up against their 2023 Grand Final nemesis the Burleigh Bombers.
Meanwhile, the QAFLW side will be bolstered by the return of the Suns academy players for their clash with the University of Queensland.
QFA
Last time they met:
Round 3 2024 at Burleigh.
Bull Sharks lost 8.3 (51) to 6.7 (43).
On reflection:
Burleigh won the day on their home deck. They play their home ground really well and outpointed the Bull Sharks by a couple of goals, in an honest yet disappointing display.
The opposition:
Burleigh are the yardstick again this season. They have winners across every line and play a well organised style of game thanks to their great coaching staff. They are a very strong club across the board.
Where it will be won:
If we can hold their midfield contingent and limit their access to their key forwards we will have a good chance. Their key forward is their best player and will be one of our biggest issues this weekend. We need to be at our absolute best on every line to get one up on them.
One to watch:
Young ZeikeUwland will be one to keep your eyes on. He is the brother of a current Suns player and talent seems to run in the family. He won the best on ground award against us in the Grand Final last year as a 17-year-old. A highly skilled, super speedy winger, who plays well above his weight and can be very damaging if let off the chain. He is currently on the Suns’ radar as a prospective draft choice.
The focus:
We will aim to match them in every aspect of the game. A big focus will be limiting their looks inside their forward 50. They have a really good set up and a very disciplined unit, so we will have to be fierce on our attack on both the footy and opposition, to limit their opportunities. Our mantra is to “go to war”. We must have that playing in our head during this game or we will be in trouble for the rest of the season.
Shuffling the magnets:
Our one major change is due to an injury. We will be losing one of our best players, Nathan Rataj. He nicked his hamstring and will have to sit out of this game.
The final word:
Footy purists love to watch these two teams go head-to-head. We need to bounce back from last week's rather untidy loss. Beating the flag favourites on our home deck will give us the belief that we can match it with the best. The conditions will most likely be wet, so there will be a contest no doubt. Whoever can gain the physical advantage and make the most of any scoring opportunities will walk off the field with a win.
With Andy Lovell
QAFLW
Bull Sharks v University of Queensland.
Last time they met:
Round 16, 2023.
Bond won 6.5(41) to 3.2 (20).
The opponent:
The team has a lot of speed and pace. Their marking ability will be something we have to watch out for. And with a dependable and consistent backline, our girls will have to be on their offensive A-game.
Shuffling the magnets:
The line-up will see a pretty big shake up this weekend. We will be welcoming back all nine of our Suns academy girls for this round. It’s going to be exciting to see a handful of them jumping back into the senior team to bolster our line-up.
The focus:
Off the back of our last performance against Maroochydore, we will be looking to improve on our contribution from all three lines. We want to make sure it is more even going up against the speed of UQ. We also need to bring a bit more of a balance to our contested/uncontested ball game.
Final word:
The highlight of our last game was our stoppage clearances and forward 50 entries and we will be looking to bring this more to the forefront of this weekend. It is highly likely that this weekend’s game will be a wet and slippery one. We are expecting a combative style contest and our team selection and the type of players we will be picking really reflect this.
With Andy Lovell