Premier Men
Last time they met:
Rd 15, 2023 at The Canal.
Bull Sharks win 52-5
The opposition:
Norths are the hardest away trip in the competition. It’s a tough inhospitable venue that is exposed to the elements and the side are pretty tough to play against because they are always hard and willing. They are a team of scrappers and I mean that in the best possible way because we need to be more like that. There are no easy points against Norths and they are hard to break down. So, we have to focus on our own attitude and how we can work to be harder to play against because we let ourselves down badly with a horrendous 16 minute period last week against Wests.
What needs to change:
It’s pretty simple and we have been saying this to the group from the start, we have to be more aggressive and more clinical. We must be the physically dominant side on the park, and we need to be tough enough to withstand anything the opposition throws at us. We have created enough opportunities to win games over the opening weeks of the season but have let ourselves down with our execution. So we need to be more clinical in the way we set up our attack when we get those opportunities
Welcome back:
Wallabies World Cup prop Zane Nonggorr will play his first game for the Bull Sharks off the bench. He’ll join Reds front row partner George Blake on a packed bench for us. And we hope for a huge impact from the pair of them when they get onto the ground.
Shuffling the magnets:
Emerging young prop Harry Bell has been doing a terrific job for us but will return to play a full game for Colts 1 to make way for Zane and George and Ollie Barrett is away with the Junior Wallabies. Hamish Roberts is in doubt with an AC injury and will have to pass a fitness test later in the week to be cleared to pay. And we are thrilled to see club stalwart Ronan Capi back in Premier Grade.
One to watch:
Former club champion Joel Brown is back at the Bull Sharks after a couple of years playing rugby league up north and we are excited at the aggression he will bring to our backrow. Hamish Roberts is in doubt with an AC injury and will have to pass a fitness test later in the eek to be cleared to pay.
New face:
Kiahan Topou will make his debut at full back. He was on target for a round one selection after strong form through the preseason before he was injured in the trials. He made a successful comeback though Second Grade last week.
With Mick Heenan
Premier Women
Last time they met:
Rd 15, 2023 at Bond Pirates.
Bull Sharks win 28-0.
On reflection:
The goal is to continue what we’re doing. Our girls have been gelling well on the field and we want to stick to the game plan we have built up through our previous games and all of our training. One of the areas we see that could use some improvement is working on holding our attack shape. If we can nail that this season we will be really happy. We made good inroads last week and we would like to carry that momentum forward.
What’s changed:
There’s not much changing in our line-up this week. Our girls are pretty settled into the positions and team roles. We feel fortunate for this.
Look out for:
There’s no one player that is standing out and that means we have a great team dynamic. We’re really happy with the girls’ cohesive nature and strong bond they show both on and off the field. Look out for the way our girls move and seem to make decisions as one. It’s pretty magical to have a team that does that so early on in the season.
Welcome back:
“We’re happy to add another one of our Reds back into our starting line-up this week. Grace Baker is a Bull Sharks favourite and we are thrilled to have the powerhouse forward back on the pitch as our blind side flanker.
The opposition:
Last year we faced the Norths towards the end of the competition. We won and were pretty happy with that because it had been a struggle for a few years to beat their girls. We’re looking at this game, knowing that there have been some big scores put on the Norths lately. We admire their ability to keep getting up and staying motivated, it is truly inspiring. We will be going into this game with a full line up and a lot of respect, we don’t think of them lightly. We are ready for the fight they will bring to us.
With Shannon Symon
Colts 1
Last time they met:
Rd 15, 2023 at The Canal.
Bull Sharks win 26-12.
Where it will be won:
Heading into this game we are confident that if we work well in our defence and really use our skills to our advantage, we should be able to win. If we can get our set piece right, specifically our lineout we will be in a good position to get the other areas of our game going. should be alright. Our lineout is where we will have the advantage, if done properly, we can use this as a platform for momentum.
What’s changed:
We’ve had five major changes to our starting line-up for this week. We’re excited to have Fergus Gillian and Harry Bell coming back from the Premier Men. They will be filling in for two of our front rowers who are away this weekend. Unfortunately, another change to our team will be the likely loss of Charlie McCauley who is currently under an injury cloud, but we won’t know if he is cleared to play until later in the week.
Look out for:
Fergus Gillan has been exceptional with the Premier Men and we are lucky to have him back as a fill in. He will be one to watch, along with Harry Bell who also drops back from the Premier grade. We are always happy to have them back playing for the Colts as they create a great atmosphere through their leadership and bond with the younger boys.
The opposition:
We played them twice last year. When we travelled up to Brisbane we only just beat them. They remain a similar team for this season so it should be a good tough match up for us.
Norths have a hardcore forward pack and that is where we will really have to be strong. If we play to our defensive plan we believe we have a good shot. Defending our rucks and taking care of them up front will be our key focus. It’s a clear challenge this week, it will be a physical game.
With Rico Gear