By Andrew Wiles – @andrewjwiles
32 teams entered, but today, the four Alpha Sport Pre-Season Cup champions were crowned.
POOL A
Morningside 14.11.95 defeated Broadbeach 6.5.41
It may have been a pre-season game, but boy was there some feeling in it early. With both teams refusing to take a backward step, Morningside were unlucky to lose Ben Dalton early to a shoulder injury. New recruit Ryan Dienjes opened the scoring for Broadbeach, but once the game settled, it was Morningside was able to get their link up game going through the likes of Adam McDonald. The Panthers went into the first change four goals up.
Broadbeach came out firing in the second, and were well and truly on top of Morningside in the first 15 minutes of the quarter. Unfortunately for the Cats, they were unable to capitalise on the scoreboard. A Samuel Faure goal well and truly against the flow of play allowed the Panthers to head into the rooms at half time 31 points up.
Morningside looked after the football a lot better in the third by foot, regaining ascendancy on the contest, in a four goal to nil quarter.
Like in the second, it was the Cats who started better in the last, through goals to Jack Mitchell and Taylor Haley. Morningside slowed the game down late to run out 54-point winners.
Coach’s thoughts
Wayne Petterd – Broadbeach
“Today was very frustrating, we have worked hard all pre-season on our skills, structures and running patterns, and they seemed a little bit over-roared today as a group. Our ball handling was as bad as it’s been all year, and that’s pressure from Morningside as well, they are a class side.
“I was happy with the intensity but we probably didn’t get rewarded for our efforts, if you get those rewards the whole side lifts.
“There is 13 new faces in this side and we have only played two games, we are still in process of learning one another.”
David Lake – Morningside
“Happy with the win but happy with how we went about it. We played to our game plan, our tackling and hard work in around the footy was ferocious, as was there’s, we were just better at clearing the footy.
“We took our opportunities today, and probably created more than the scoreboard showed.”
“At some stages we were forcing the ball forwards instead of managing the ball forward, and sometimes you have to slow down to go faster.”
POOL B
Mayne 10.8.68 defeated UQ 6.6.42
Mayne jumped out of the blocks well, with Housego kicking the first two of the game, as they controlled the footy early. The first 10-minutes were ferocious, with both sides cracking in early to try and set the tone for the day. As the quarter went on, UQ’s run started coming to the fore, as they kicked the last three of the quarter to lead by five-points at quarter time.
The premiership quarter came one early for the Tigers, as there dominance around the contest allowed them to gain the upper hand in the second quarter. Kicking four goals to nil, Mayne went into half time 19-points in front.
Despite a final quarter serge from the Red Lions, Mayne was able to control the footy when it counted. They used the corridor well all day to capitalise on any UQ turnover. They kicked the last two of the game to claim pre-season honors by 26-points
Coach’s thoughts
Shaun Daly – Mayne
“I’m really happy with today. It was pretty hot conditions and UQ are a really good side who have improved a lot over the last 12 months, so I’m happy with our performance.
“The second quarter we broke open and got two or three goals in a row and maintained that lead for the rest of the game. They are a fit side so we knew they were going to come back at us.”
“It’s really important to have a good contest before round one and you always like winning form, so we 100 per cent wanted to win today.”
Darren Pfeiffer – UQ
“The playing group knows that we have the ability to win that kind of game, but I was happy with the way the boys went about it for 3 quarters, it’s just about doing it consistently for four quarters. When we can do that, we will come away with the results.
“The start of our quarters weren’t great, Mayne kicked the first couple in each quarter but our ability to stay in the contest and fight back was really good.”
POOL C
Yeronga 19.11.125 defeated Caloundra 6.10.46
It was a hot footy early in the battle for QFA bragging rights. From the opening bounce, the game was played at a cracking pace as both sides looked for space out wide. It was Yeronga who capatalised early, as the Devils piled on seven goals to two in the first quarter.
The trend continued in the second quarter, as Yeronga extended their lead out to 53-points at the main break.
Caloundra started the third well, restricting the run of the Devils, and finding space of their own, but couldn’t hit the scoreboard as well as they would have liked. The contest went up a gear in the second half, but it was Yeronga who continued to move the ball freely and hit targets. Caloundra found some run late to kick three, but the sting was out of the game. Yeronga ran out comfortable 79-point winners.
Coach’s thoughts
Paul Rayner – Yeronga
“I thought we used the ball really well. We are slowly starting to get our structures right so we are very happy with the win.
“Its very important to get some momentum, we really wanted to put our best team forward to make the most of today, and in two weeks time we will do the same thing.
“It was a good little hit out and we are stoked to get the win.”
Russle Evans – Caloundra
“It was a funny day, I thought we were good in the start of each quarter, and in the second half I thought we were pretty good. It was the back three quarters of the first and second quarters that I thought we were pretty dumb and didn’t think about what we were doing and let the opposition cut us up.
“There was a lot to learn out of the game, so a lot of opportunity to improve everything, like getting our backline to work better together and getting a bit more physical, there is a lot to take out of today.”
POOL D
Bond University 15.9.99 defeated Pine Rivers 4.4.28
Pace, pure pace. That’s what was on display in Bond University’s win over Pine Rivers. From the opening bounce, the Bull Sharks used their run to put the score on the board early. Their six-goal first quarter was as electric as it gets. They consistently found space out wide and had numbers out the back of each contest, who put instant meters on their opponents.
Their leg speed had them on top for the rest of the afternoon, with Pine Rivers battling hard all day for little reward on the scoreboard. Bond extended their lead at every break, to be crowed Alpha Sport Pre-Season Cup champions with a 71-point win.
Coach’s thoughts
Sam Whish-Wilson
“We caught then napping at the start, our boys were ready to go, there’s word around the competition that when you play against Bond Uni you’re playing against fast young kids that are a bit soft. Deep down in our change rooms walls, we know we are as hard as any team.
“The boys got together a couple of months before Christmas and set out the plans for this year. Everyone signed up bar one from the grand final team, so when you have some stability like that it shows in games like today.”
Jamie Pearce – Pine Rivers
“In my mind we have got a lot to work on. Our fitness is not up to the level that we thought we were at, and not our skill level either. We have got a two week break now until round one so that’s something for us to work on.
“We have taken a lot out of the first two weeks, obviously last week was a tough opponent for us and that’s what we wanted, so its given us a lot to work on before the season starts.”
