Netflix was the only winner in Round 6, with the QWAFL a victim of South East Queensland’s wild and wooly weather. Those matches have been parked until the scheduled washout round of July 30/31 and if this morning’s blue skies are any indication we should be back to el primo Queensland winter footy weather.
Match of the Round:
Yeronga vs. Coolangatta
No-one likes being number 2 (just ask Marcia Brady) and we’re guessing that Yeronga are still smarting from their 31-point loss to Cooly in Round 2.
The Bluebirds have had a tough run with injuries which makes their perfect record this year even more impressive. Coach Aaron Russell says they are at 70 per cent list strength, with last week’s unplanned rest a boon for the ladder leaders. They are all class and should be flying on confidence.
The Devils also welcome back some quality this week, and will be sharpening those metaphorical pitch forks at the thought of an understaffed Bluebirds outfit.
In their last encounter there was only three points separating the two teams at three quarter time. We want this one to be a nail biter and reckon the footy Gods might just grant our wish.
Where & When: Leyshon Park, Yeronga @ 4:45pm, Saturday June 11
Last time they met: Round 4, 2016 Coolangatta defeated Yeronga by 31 points
2016 form: Coolangatta (5/5 Wins), Yeronga (4/5 Wins)
Prediction:
Yeronga has all the motivation in the world and a home ground advantage. They went into this season as a lot of people’s premiership fancy and a win or loss here is psychologically big, either way. We think they can, and must, do it. Yeronga by 11 points.
Coaches Thoughts
Scott Stephens
“The week off ended up being a blessing as we had a lot of players unavailable, for various reasons. It also gave a few of our academy players the opportunity to freshen up after a few big weeks of training and the game at the MCG.”
“We played Coolangatta a few weeks ago and went down by five goals. Our intensity and effort dropped away in the second half, but they played a solid four quarter game.
“This week we’ll be looking to maintain our effort and intensity for the full four quarters.”
Aaron Russell
“Had the games gone ahead last week we would have been seriously down on personnel. We will have a few back this week however we are having a rather rough run with injuries and are running at about 70% list strength right now.”
“We know Yeronga are a quality side with a bunch of classy players. We may have shut them down before half time last meeting but we’re expecting them to bounce back and come at us.”
“We have some key indicators in place and believe we know where the game will be won and lost. This week has been all about preparing our players mentally for another intense game of football.”
“We’ve really been challenging the playing group in regards to individual improvement and follow through. As a whole we’ve been training to transition from attack to defence and vice versa.”
Wilston Grange vs. University of Queensland
Let’s not beat around the bush here … UQ are expected to win this one. Coach Damien Richards has the team coasting along nicely in third spot and while the stats say that shouldn’t change this week, we are spoiling for a boil-over at AFLQ Media HQ.
And a good old-fashioned inspection of the team sheets tells us that’s not such a crazy idea, with names like Hunt, Zielke, Hardman and McGorm missing from the UQ line-up and the fabulous Kate Lutkins back for Grange.
They may have lost to UQ by a decent margin last time they met but there was a lot to like about the Gorilla’s approach.
They have a confidence building win under belt this time around and coach Marcus McDonald Camden seems up and about this week.
We’ve said all season that the Gorillas are a developing side and with a Red Lioness’ line-up that’s not as shiny as usual we are just a wee bit excited over this one.
Where & When: Bendigo Bank Oval, Wilston Grange @ 4:45pm, Saturday June 11
Last time they met: Round 4, 2016 UQ defeated Wilston Grange by 41 points
2016 form: Wilston Grange (1/5 Wins), UQ (3/5 Wins)
Prediction: Our cool, collected media heads say UQ. But … there is a little, rebellious voice in our ears saying “Pick Grange! Pick Grange!”Sorry Damo, but the little voice wins. We are going Grange by a point. Get around ‘em.
Coaches Thoughts
Marcus McDonald-Camden
“The weekend off gave us a good opportunity to rest up and build excitement for our next game. The girls were all very eager to get back out on the park and give a really good crack. Hopefully we can build the same mentality and excitement again this week.”
“UQ are quality opposition and will be looking to come out firing after the washout, so we will need to be up and about from the first bounce.”
“If we can control the pace and tempo of the game from the start, it will give us the best opportunity to play some quality football on Saturday.”
“We will be looking to really close down the back exits from the stoppages around the ground. If we can create pressure around the stoppage it will only just add to our chance.”
Damien Richards
“The week off came at a handy time with a few girls having little injuries that have settled now from the break.”
“It is going to be a good test of our depth this week; we have a lot of girls unavailable and it will be a good opportunity for a lot of girls to step up.”
“We want to keep building on our game plan. We are still a long way from getting that right and this will continue to be our focus this week.”
Coorparoo vs. Zillmere
let’s take you back to Round 4 when these two teams gave us a good old-fashioned thriller.
Zillmere were four goals up at three-quarter time and perhaps a little cocky heading into the final term. Coorparoo laid on three majors and kept the Eagles to just three points in the last stanza, giving us one of the most entertaining matches we’ve seen this year.
We don’t see Zillmere being complacent this time around, but we are hoping to see that same level of fight in the Navy Roos, who we know can bring the pressure.
It’s been a tough year so far for the 2015 premiers, but we know Coorparoo can play patches of great footy. Consistency is one of the most used words in footy for a reason; and it’s something we are desperate to see in the Navy Roos.
Where & When: Giffin Park, Coorparoo @ 4:45pm, Saturday June 11
Last time they met: Round 4, Zillmere defeated Coorparoo by 9 points
2016 form: Coorparoo (0/5 Wins), Zillmere (2/5 Wins)
Prediction:
While we would love to see the Navy Roos take it to Zillmere, we think the Eagles will soar in this one. Zillmere by 23.
Regular QWAFL writer Jess Stewart is away, so we’ve brought the AFLQ mystery writer off the bench for three weeks.
Coaches Thoughts
Jacob Simmons-Bliss
“Having last weekend off gave our side the opportunity to put together double the amount of training between games, which is always advantageous as it allows the coaching staff and the players extra time to focus on what we are looking to improve on in preparation for the next phase of our season.”
“Obviously a week off between games after the first 6 weeks of the season has allowed all of the players to freshen up physically and ensure that they are 100% physically prepared for our next match.”
“Internally, we have an extremely concerted focus on what we are looking to execute throughout the match and areas of our game style we are looking to improve on from our first month of the season.”
“Coorparoo are a formidable opponent who provides significant pressure through the middle of the ground, so an extremely high work ethic on our part will be crucial to team success on game day.”
