Something Brewing at Broadbeach
Broadbeach stunned Morningside at Jack Esplen Oval on Saturday and staked their claim as serious QAFL contenders. The Cats now hold the scalps of Wilston Grange and Morningside after the past two weeks, bumping them up to third position on the QAFL ladder.
Big, is the best way to describe Broadbeach ruck forward Mitch Brewer, but it’s also a suitable description for his performance on Saturday. Brewer provided a physical presence around the ground and also spent time in the forward line, where he took some strong marks and kicked five goals. The big fella was exceptional with ball in hand, proving difficult to tackle and always getting a handball off under pressure.
Luke Shreeve continued his impressive season to date, breaking the lines and amassing plenty of possessions. Forward of centre, Josh Searl and Ed Sansbury showed impressive composure and continually proved problematic for the Morningside defenders.
The loss leaves Morningside with some headaches, but the Panthers have time with the bye to regroup and get back to the type of form that saw them get the best of Wilston Grange in round two. While the Panthers had trouble capitalizing on their forward half entries, Alex Mitchell worked hard to provide options all day and ended the game with two majors.
Hungry Hungry Hippos
Palm Beach Currumbin forward Jarryd Douglas topped this week’s goal scorers, helping himself to a big bag of seven. For the Hawks, Liam Rutledge continued his recent scoring run, netting another three.
Labrador has consistently had an even spread of goal kickers so far this season, but this week Darryn Thomas bucked the trend, kicking four for the Tigers against Mt Gravatt. Promising youngster Brendan Telford ended up with four for the Vultures, against one of the most challenging defenses in the league.
Oskar Baker kicked five in a low scoring affair against Surfers at Bendigo Bank Oval. At the other end, Daniel Green kicked two, though the Demons spearhead looked dangerous most of the day.
Josh Baxter snagged five goals, as Broadbeach stampeded Morningside, while Mitch Brewer kicked five of his own and Ed Sansbury chimed in with three.
Sherrin on a string
Oskar Baker was outstanding for the Gorillas with his five goals against Surfers, stepping up when the game was in the balance to show genuine goal sense and agile movement through traffic. Gorillas coach Nathan Clarke was resigned to loosing Baker to the NEAFL again next week, such was his output.
Jayden Young remains the ‘in form’ defender of the QAFL with another standout game. Young consistently intercepted and took the game on, shrugging tackles and finding targets by foot. For Mt Gravatt, youngster Ben Sloan showed he’s capable of having an impact, taking some clutch marks.
Masterminds
After five rounds of football, there should be a clearer picture forming of which teams are set to be the stronger sides throughout the season. Though this year, it seems like any side is capable of victory on the day.
Palm Beach Currumbin and Labrador have put their hands up as flag contenders again, Labrador not loosing a game and Palm Beach loosing only one. Broadbeach have thrown their hat in the ring with another huge victory and all of a sudden, look like one of the stronger teams of the competition.
After a strong pre-season there was a lot of anticipation surrounding Morningside and their early form was promising. The Panthers now sit with a 1-4 ledger before their bye and should be in emergency mode, trying to salvage their season.
Surfers Paradise has been a surprise packet, putting in some incredible performances without getting the results. They lost to Broadbeach by a straight kick, then got over Morningside in the last minute and they were in control of the Gorillas for much of the game this week.
In patches both the Western Magpies and Wilston Grange have shown they are capable and their game against each other was a thriller. It will be interesting to see which of these two contenders can improve the most before season’s end.
Recap
To get a play-by-play recount of the match of the round, take a look at the live blog below.
By Sean Melrose
Follow @seanmelrose
