The Bull Sharks have booked their place in the QFA and QAFLW post seasons and will use the final games to build momentum for the finals.
The men's side have suffered a huge blow with skipper matt Smith ruled out with injury while some big name stars have bene rested in the QAFLW.
QFA
Bull Sharks v Carrara at Carrara.
Last time they met:
Rd 1, 2024 at The Canal.
Bull Sharks won 10.6 (66) to 10.3 (63)
Best: Nick Scott, Nicholas Francis, Sam Bowen, Sam Brooks, Oliver Burrows-Cheng, Matthew Green
The opposition:
This week we lock horns with an old foe in the Carrara Saints on their home deck. In our previous encounter it was a very fiery affair with spot fires all day given the two clubs have a history of not particularly liking each other. They have been up and down all year although will be at their best against us this weekend.
Shuffling the magnets:
We may have a few changes this week due to injury and player availability. Skipper Matt Smith has a broken finger and won’t play. We won’t have the final team announced until as late as possible as we test quite a few players fitness and readiness to play. With that said we will have a very good side named that should take the chocolates on Saturday. Young gun Nathan Rataj is hopeful of a return post a hamstring injury although like a few will be tested Thursday.
Ones to watch:
Liam Viney, Mitch Dell, Nick Francis and Felix Packer have all been in sizzling form and will be ones to watch. If these guys fire, we win the game simple as that.
The Focus:
Carrara’s ground is an unusual shape and can be a challenge to play on as the wings are super tight. It will be a very contested game of footy as Carrara love that game style. We need to mix it with them and get the ball to our outside run. We need to match their aggression and then outrun them as they won’t be able to go with us.
Final word:
This will be an interesting game as historically we haven’t had great success at this venue. Given the last outing was such a prickly affair there will no doubt be fireworks, we need to play the ball get the early score and snuff out any challenge they might have. We need to win this game at a hostile venue which will instil confidence into the group as we make our run to the finals.
Reserves.
Bull Sharks won 12.9 (81) to 9.4 (58)
Best: Kane Peeters, Isaiah Douglas, Nathan White, Dean Hepburn, Joshua Clark
QAFLW
Bull Sharks v University of Queensland at UQ
Last time they met:
Rd 7, 2024 at The Canal.
Bull Sharks won 6.7 (43) to 2.5 (17)
Best: Maisy Evans, Shannon Nolan, Imogen Evans, Tahlia Meyer, Jemma Blair, Charlotte Taylor
The opposition:
UQ are a tricky opponent especially at their home ground “The Basin” which is small and dictates a contested ball style of game. They are well coached around structure, and they have an abundance of speedy midfielders who can hit the scoreboard.
Shuffling the magnets:
We will rest two of our key players this week Havana Harris and Mia Salisbury who both are preparing for their final Queensland State representative game in Western Australia next weekend. We also have Imogen Evans, one of our key inside midfielders, unavailable due to knee soreness and Annabelle Foat who has school Oz Tag commitments. The players in the mix to replace them are Lexi Samuels, Skye White, CJ Landwehr, Bella Iverach, Tobi Chapman and Izzy Lowe.
Ones to watch:
Charlotte Taylor on a wing has been super consistent all season in giving us great offensive drive. And our captain Paris Lightfoot who has been battling knee tendonitis in both knees for a big chunk of the season has finally got them under control is back playing with speed and aggression off half back.
The focus:
It really doesn’t shift much from week to week as we continue to search for consistency in our contest work and stoppage clearance quality in an effort to generate high quality forward 50m entries. Our challenge is to continue to defend the opposition strongly and make it difficult for them to score.
The final word:
It’s our final hit out before finals and while our ladder position can’t change, there is plenty at stake as competition for spots in the team heats up. Team first attitude always is our mantra, and nothing changes this week.
Reserves:
Bull Sharks won 16.19 (105) to 0.1 (1)
Best: Abbey Bevan, Jasmine Single, Annabelle Foat, Aleah Stringer, Hannah Garland, Sarah Heptinstall