A massive game for our QAFLW team this weekend as they head up the M1 to take on Coorparoo. A win would put them in second place on the ladder and likely earn Bond another shot at Southport in the first week of finals.
QAFLW
The opposition: Cooporaroo will be a big challenge. They are a big, strong, contested team. They have beaten us twice in our last three outings. Both times have been in really heavy wet conditions, which suit them, so we're looking forward to a dry deck this weekend.
The challenge: The challenge is to get the ball from inside to outside. If we can get them on the outside, we've got the legs and the skill level to expose them. We don't want it to be a full inside contested game.
Shuffling the magnets: We lose Lexi Samuels to suspension. But we do get Tahlia Bortignon back, who was away on work commitments. Other than that, we've got a fairly settled team leading into the game.
Ones to watch: Grace Ella, as a small defender, has been in really good form; she has been terrific. Charlotte Taylor on the wing, has been really impressive as well. Shannon Nolan's been our most consistent performer. The standout is Evie Reeves, who had the best game of her career last week against Southport. She's just a really skilful, smart inside mid who's had a breakout season.
The focus: The focus will be on centre bounce stoppages. If we can win the ball out of the centre, take territory, and then build the pressure from our front end. That's the key to beating them.
Final words: if we win, we can finish second. Not going to talk about the alternative, but it's an opportunity to secure a double chance at finals. There's a bit on the line.
- With Andy Lovell