By Beth Newman
Palm Beach v Broadbeach
After a tight first half, the Palm Beach ran away with a comfortable win over Broadbeach. Both sides were missing a handful of senior players, but the Lions stood up in the second, with their focus on fitness in the pre-season paying off.
Who impressed?
PB: Sam Bourke, Jesse Derrick, Josh Nelson, Brad Scheer, Brent Pearson, Bryce Perry-Bolt
BB: Michael Lindeback, Brandon Chadwick
Coaches’ thoughts
Daryn Cresswell – Palm Beach
“We didn’t play our best, but it was only our second practice match and we’ve got a few new players, so they’ll take time to gel.”
“I was pleased with how we ran the game out. We’ve worked a lot on our fitness in the summer and it showed.”
Wayne Petterd – Broadbeach: “After half-time, the wheels fell off a bit.”
“With a group of kids, you expect them to fluctuate up and down and they’ll learn.”
“Our ball movement was very stagnant. In the future, we need to maintain our composure and not panic.”
Labrador v Surfers Paradise
Labrador will have to deal with some more pre-season hype, after a strong win over Surfers Paradise. Tigers dominated for most of the game, but the Demons managed to win the final quarter. In a scrappy contest, the Tigers didn’t take advantage of their dominance in front of goals, missing plenty of shots.
Labrador played with a group of 26 to the Demons’ 21, with both sides missing a number of regular senior players. Former AFL player, Peter Everitt, kicked five goals from 10 shots on goal for Labrador, playing in the forward pocket. New Surfers recruit, Nathan Trevena, was impressive against the Tigers.
Who impressed?
Labrador: Kurt Niklaus, Tom Daniel, Ryan Davey, Peter Everitt
Surfers: Tayler Rolfe, Nathan Trevena, Daniel Green, Chevy Palmer, Connor Manning
Coaches’ thoughts
Steve Daniel – Labrador:
“It was really scrappy to start, because it was a lot of the guys’ first real hit-out, but the second and third quarters were good.”
“We only had about six or seven players from last year, so it was a relatively new side. I was probably 75 per cent happy with what we did.”
Beau Zorko – Surfers Paradise:
“I was pretty happy with the intensity and pressure that we played with.”
“It was great to give some guys who might not otherwise have an opportunity to have that chance to play so we could have a look at them.”
“We got a lot out of it, despite being a little light on troops.”
Sandgate v Morningside
Morningside did nothing to dispel their QAFL favouritism against Sandgate, recording a 12-goal win at Lemke Rd. The Panthers, without a number of high-profile senior players, controlled proceedings all day against a developing Sandgate side. The understrength Hawks side, missing players including best and fairest, Dan Affleck, will be looking to improve their forward pressure ahead of their second match against Labrador on Saturday.
Who impressed?
Sandgate: Jacob Hussman, Ryan Eyles
Morningside: Lachlan Russ, Nick Tomlinson, Tyson Upton, Lachie Dignan, Nathan Kinch
Injuries
Sandgate: Jack Mitchell (collarbone)
Coaches’ thoughts:
Rob Dickfos – Sandgate:
“The game was a massive learning curve for us, to see what we need to work on.”
“The pressure was good, and we moved the ball okay but we were slow to man up defensively.”
David Lake – Morningside:
“Nathan Kinch was in Grogan Medal form out there, just a pleasure to watch.”
“The players were enjoying being out there and playing to a high standard. We’ll continue to get better each week.”
Wilston Grange v UQ
A strong third quarter set up a 90-point win for Wilston Grange, against UQ. New ruckman, Bradie Foster outsized UQ’s Pat Robinson, in a dominant performance in the middle. After a close start, the game opened up for the Gorillas in the second half, and the home side’s bigger bodies took control. Matt Trewhella finished with eight goals for the day.
UQ are still missing a number of top-line players, including last year’s best and fairest winner Michael Stewart, while Grange was without Steve Brittain as well as a number of others.
Who impressed?
Wilston Grange: Dan Campbell, Bradie Foster, Hugh Campbell, Jack James, Jordan Roberts
UQ: Tom Crameri, Brodie Tebbutt, Dustin Harris, Louis Straker, Sean Powyer,
Coaches’ thoughts
Matt Trewhella – Wilston Grange
“It was fierce and tight early, but I think we were just a little bit fitter and bigger.”
“I think we were a bit congested in our forward line, so we’ll be looking to get more of a spread around the contest.”
Tim Mackinley – UQ:
“That was probably about 200 per cent better than our last practice match, against Mayne.”
“We want to maintain the intensity that we showed in that first quarter and concentrate on being more competitive for longer.”
Mt Gravatt v Western Magpies
In the most even match of the weekend, the Magpies edged out Mt Gravatt by seven points. Both sides played three of their aligned NEAFL players, giving people an idea as to how those players will add in the season. Vultures youngster, Wiley Buzza, was a standout while Jayden Crawley and Mitch Hart had successful returns from injury. The Magpies gave the Vultures no room to move across the field, with strong pressure on all lines.
INJURIES:
Magpies: Hayden Thick (dislocated finger)
Who impressed?
Magpies: Peter Kilroy
Mt Gravatt: Wiley Buzza, Jayden Crawley, Mitch hart, Nick Tronc
Coaches’ thoughts:
Glenn Humphrey – Magpies:
“I was quite pleased with the way they put structures in place, particularly with our on-ballers.”
“The way we pressed up on the opposition, shut them down, the flow of the blow and the attack on the footy was pretty good.”
“We were around about where I thought we would be, considering they’re learning a new game plan.”
Brad Pollock – Mt Gravatt:
“I thought it was a pretty even hit-out and they’re pretty similar to us.”
“It was probably a 40 per cent improvement on our practice match a couple of weeks ago, and we’ll keep progressing from there.”
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