With QFA South teams in the home stretch of the season, we thought it’s time to take a look at where they have been, and what is ahead of them in 2015. Check it out, club by club, below.
Coorparoo
The past
Undefeated. They might not have won every game, but they are yet to lose. Yeronga South Brisbane matched their score in round 9, but apart from that, it’s been smooth sailing in the win loss ledger. Springwood got within two-points in round 8, but holding them off was a massive win for Coorparoo, showing the QFA South world they are the real deal.
The future
Coorparoo’s next four games shouldn’t cause too much trouble, but following on from that, finals will come early. In their last two games, they come up against Springwood and Yeronga, bound to give us an idea of what to expect in the business end of the season.
Chris Cant is averaging near on six goals a game up forward, having an amazing year, and Joseph Taranto has also been very consistent.
Kenmore
The past
2015 didn’t get off to the best start for the Bears, with a 39-point loss to Yeronga in round 1, but from there, they have bounced back strongly. They got over Springwood in round 9 by a kick, which showed they will most definitely be there abouts this year. They struggled against Coorparoo in round 11 but rebounded strongly against Alexandra Hills last weekend.
The future
Like Coorparoo, Kenmore has a decent run home. They should go close to winning their next four games, before a final round showdown with Springwood at home. A decent hit out like that will be the perfect lead in to the finals series, where they could play the same opponent week 1.
Jake De Winter has booted 44 goals this year in a dominate display in the forward 50, and Chris Judson has been getting a heap of the footy all year.
Springwood
The past
It was business as usual for the Puma’s to kick off 2015. At the end of round seven, they were sitting pretty at 5-0, which included a bye and the rescheduled game against Coolangatta-Tweed due to the rain. The next two weeks saw them in unfamiliar territory. They went down to Coorparoo by two-points, and then were upstaged by Kenmore the following week by a kick. They regrouped over the bye and have bounced back strongly against Coomera and Burleigh in the last two weeks to be back in business.
The future
The next three weeks looks very bright for Springwood. Games against Coolangatta-Tweed, Robina and Alexandra Hills should all but consolidate their finals position. As for their finishing position, it’ll come down to a mini finals series in the last three weeks against the other current top four teams. They will have a perfect opportunity to send a direct message to their biggest competitors heading into September.
Luke O’Shea has been the standout performer this year, bagging 33 majors from eight games.
Yeronga South Brisbane
The past
Yeronga’s strong pre season form carried into round 1, with a big win over rivals Kenmore to the tune of 41-points, which really set their season up. After four wins on the trot, their first loss came at the hands of Springwood by 24-points, but they bounced back against Alexandra Hills the following week. Round 9 saw their much-hyped clash with Coorparoo at home, and the two teams couldn’t be split, proving that this competition is still wide open.
The futurd
Their next big clash will be against Springwood in round 16, no doubt keen to make amends of the loss earlier in the year. A last round showdown with Coorparoo will whet finals appetites, but Yeronga will want to make sure their finishing position is assured before that game.
Matt Eagles has been a huge recruit for 2015, adding some real height to the ruck lineup and down forward. Averaging three goals per game this year, opposition teams need to lock him down if they want to win.
Burleigh
The past
You could break Burleigh’s season down into three parts. It started off really well, with two impressive wins over Coolangatta Tweed and Robin, but was followed by three losses in a row to tough opposition in Springwood, Coorparoo and Kenmore. The next four games of the year came against teams below them, which were all won comfortably, including a huge win over Coolangatta-Tweed in round 10. Their next loss came last weekend against Springwood. They are a little bit trapped at the moment, in the sense that they are clearly the fifth best team in the competition at the moment, but just can’t bridge that gap to the top four.
The future
In the next three weeks, Burleigh play Yeronga, Coorparoo and Kenmore. Three tough games but a real opportunity to prove they are here to play in 2015. They will need to take a scalp before the end of the year, and there is no better time than the present.
Nathan Sullivan has been the spearhead up forward this year with 40 goals this year, and Regan Salter has been super consistent in his 10 appearances.
Coomera
The past
The year started off on the right foot for the Magpies with a resounding win over Robina in round one, but it was tough going for the next two games against Yeronga and Kenmore. They couldn’t separate themselves from Alexandra Hills in round 7, at 98-points apiece, but apart from that, have beaten all the teams below them.
The future
The biggest game for Coomera in the run home will be against Burleigh in round 17. If they want to climb up the ladder any further, it’s a must win. They have a few tough weeks ahead of them with Coorparoo and Kenmore, but should finish the year off strongly against Coolangatta-Tweed.
Daniel Brauer has been excellent for the Magpies this year. He is a real weapon for them.
Robina
The past
Just the two wins for Robina so far this year, with both victories coming over Coolangatta-Tweed in rounds 3 and 12 respectively. There has been no issue with scoring across the year; it’s their ability to stop the opposition kicking goals that has been the issue.
The future
Robina have got a big game against Alexandra Hills this weekend, which they would consider themselves a real show in, but their last month is as hard as it gets. They take on the top four teams in four consecutive weeks, before the bye in the final round to finish their year off.
David Manning and Peter Laval have been the go to targets up forward this year, with 44 goals between them to date.
Alexandra Hills
The past
It’s been a tough year so far for Alexandra Hills. They got oh so close to their first win in round 7 against Coomera, but had to settle for just the two points. After failing to get close to Coolangatta-Tweed in round 2, they turned the tables two weeks ago to notch up their first win of 2015.
The future
It’s a tough run home for the Bombers, but their biggest opportunity of their second win will come in round 13 against Robina. They will have their work cut out to get over the line, but if they can, it will be a nice little reward for effort across the year.
Nathan Burgess averages three goals per game from his five starts this year, and Jordan Reilly has been their best-performed individual, also playing every game this season.
Coolangatta Tweed
The past
It’s all about the rebuild for Coolangatta-Tweed this year, and getting the club back up to where it has been in the past. Wins were always going to be hard to come by, but they managed a strong four-quarter effort against Alexandra Hills in round 2 to get the ball rolling. They held their own against Yeronga in round 5, but since then it’s been pretty tough going.
The future
The next month is as tough as it gets. Springwood into Yeronga into Coorparoo into Kenmore. They have the opportunity to send 2015 off on a winning note against Coomera away from home in round 18.
Reid Battye has been outstanding all year for Coolangatta Tweed, as has Connor Kendall
By Andrew Wiles – @andrewjwiles
