Very different stories for our men and women last weekend. Our QAFLW's bubble was well and truly burst by a rampant Southport Sharks outfit. Meanwhile, our QFA men go from strength to strength.
QAFLW
Bull Sharks v Broadbeach Cats
The Canal
2 pm Saturday
The Opposition
This week we face Broadbeach. It's a chance to regroup, reset and get back to playing our brand of footy. A win, if we can achieve it, will be a good boost for our confidence.
The challenge
We will have to shift a gear mentally after last week. We set ourselves to go out and win that game, and we fell short. It's going to take mental toughness to realign to our defensive brand of footy.
Shuffling the magnets
Annabelle Foat will, unfortunately, be out for the next month with an ankle injury, and Skye White is away, so we have to find a ruck and a defender. Millar Brosnanball and Chiara Nyhuis are the main options that we're considering. Heidi Grimster and Nikki Sandeman played well in the Reserves last week. So there are options for us to come in. We just haven't decided who that is yet, but we definitely have to find two, potentially three players. Skye Emery was great in the reserves last week, so she gives herself a chance to come back in as well.
Ones to watch
Tegan Williams will play her third game back after missing six weeks with an injured shoulder. She is slowly building her match fitness back up. Kendra Blattman looks just about ready to hit top form. She kicked three of our four goals last week and looked dangerous. I would also expect Shannon Nolan to rebound too. Grace Moodie, our captain, should also rebound strongly this weekend.
The Focus
Use the ball and share it around a bit better with our teammates who are in better positions to use it. That's our main focus. We got enough of the ball last week. We just didn't have enough control of it.
Final words
We've had a really strong season to date. We had a hiccup last week, but it's a chance to re-establish our place at the top of the ladder.
QFA
Robina Roos v Bull Sharks
Scottsdale Reserve, Robina
Saturday, 2 pm
Opposition
This week, we take on our closest neighbour in Robina. We had a convincing win against them in our last meeting here at Bond and take them on at their home ground this weekend. They are a different proposition at home, given the unusual nature of their ground. It’s a very small ground in comparison to ours, and they play it very well, so we need to beat our best, particularly with our contested game, to match them.
Shuffling the magnets
A common thread most weeks are the forced and unforced changes, and this weekend will be no different. We may have up to five changes. We have terrific depth this season and a Reserves team that is playing very well, so the step up should be a smooth one for players coming into the side.
Ones to Watch
A couple of young charges came into the team last weekend, and we are keen to see them progress and continue to develop. Two notables are Tommy Lurhs and Hugo Deague, who returned to the Senior team and played very well. The continued form of a couple of our hardened key forwards in Matty Smith and Jack Tilly will also be a good watch.
Focus
The main message from coach Ford is to keep running with what has been working. Our training has been first-rate with the energy and intent across the group at a very high level, which has transferred into games, giving us an unbeaten record to this point. We have the majority of both playing groups in very good form and playing a style that really worries the opposition; our challenge is to not waver from this mindset and approach.
Final Word
The boys are really enjoying their footy at the moment, so this weekend is another chance to continue to build our season and play a style that is very hard to beat.