A massive weekend of AFL at The Canal with our QFA men hosting Coolangatta and our in-form QAFLW women up against competition front-runner Southport Sharks.
QAFLW
The Opposition: It's the biggest challenge so far. But we’re going into the game in really strong form. We're confident and really settled. Our best footy is good enough to win. We're going to the game with genuine confidence, but we know we're going to have to play a really balanced game of attack and defence to beat them.
The Challenge: The mental side of the game and keeping our confidence will be the challenge this week. If we can mentally prepare the right way, then our best is good enough to really get it across the line.
Shuffling the magnets: We are pretty settled, but we do welcome back Millar Brosnan-Ball, who was out last week with illness, and we also get Amelia Ella back from the Queensland State side. So potentially two really strong ends for us.
One to watch: Skye White came back last week after missing three games and was brilliant in the ruck. She's been playing really well. Beth Pinchin, at centre half-back, was in our best 3 players, and she's had a really strong season. Shannon Nolan's had another stellar year; she's been brilliant. Evie Reeves in the midfield, and Charlotte Taylor on the wings. So our very best players are in really good form.
Focus: Taking care of the footy. They score against opposition teams off turnover.So we have to take care of the ball by hand and foot, and not dump-kick it back to them.
Final word: It's going to be a big challenge, but it's one that we're going to embrace because we feel like we're in the best form we've been in for some time, and our confidence is high. So we are ready to test ourselves against the benchmark team in the comp.
- with Andy Lovell
QFA
Opposition: Saturday presents us with a real challenge, with the Coolangatta Blues making the trek up the highway to take us on at home. Our rivalry with this club dates back many years, and this weekend will be no different. Having drawn with them on our last outing, we are primed and ready to knock them over at home this weekend.
Challenge: These games are always a challenge. They are coached well, have dangerous players on every line, and don’t particularly like us! We do respect them, although we love the challenge of taking them on, as traditionally these games are tightly contested and hard won.
Shuffling: This week may see up to six changes to the team with players back from injury and VFL commitments. All inclusions are high-quality, which is a huge boost for the side.
Ones to Watch: Ned Betts had his best game for the season last week, so we are keen to see him continue to get better week in week out. Young guns Miles Enders, Jed Kowald and Tommy Bennett will be ones to watch as they bring run, dash, and plenty of ability.
Focus: It looks like it may be a wet weekend, which is a real shame, so we need to get our noses to the footy, get first use, and ensure we make the most of our opportunities in front of goal. We have trained very well again this week, so we go in with zero excuses.
Final Word: We get the chance after the weekend to take a breath and set ourselves up for the last part of the season before our finals campaign, so to bank another win against a quality opposition is our key focus this weekend.
- with Matthew Kennedy