Battle of the undefeated at Lismore
Reigning premier the Coffs Breakers will travel to face the undefeated Lismore Swans in a highly anticipated match at Oakes Oval. Photo: Green Shoots Marketing
BOTH the women’s and senior teams for the Lismore Swans and Coffs Breakers will put their undefeated records on the line when they meet at Oakes Oval on Saturday.
Lismore’s women have started their season with wins over Port Macquarie and Grafton but now their credentials will be tested when they face the reigning premier.
Coach of the Swans women’s team Ken McPherson, who moved to the Northern Rivers from Wagga Wagga only two months ago, admits playing against the Breakers will be a test.
“It’s going to be a nice challenge. It will be nice to see where we fit in in the competition,” McPherson said.
“So far we’ve played Port Macquarie and Grafton. Port are almost a new team with a lot of good young girls and Grafton is a new team as well.
“We look forward to the test to see where we’re at with the game styles.”
Breakers coach Brad Giri said his team will be short of their strongest line-up for the road trip
“We’re looking forward to the challenge. Lismore are going to be tough, particularly on their home ground,” Giri said.
“They’re a big team so we’ll probably try and rely on our speed. Like us they like to flick that handball out the back and get the ball moving so I think it will be an open game.”
The Breakers have had a week’s rest after starting the season with wins over Sawtell/Toormina and last year’s grand finalist Northern Beaches.
Giri admitted he’s thrilled with how the Breakers have started their 2021 campaign.
“Very happy with the girls. It’s always an unknown when you go into a season with 10 new players but they’ve switched on pretty quickly to the way we like to play,” he said.
The Swans have announced their presence in the seniors with a bang, recording comfortable victories over Casino, Port Macquarie and Grafton to sit on the table with a percentage of 460.
While one thing they may have had in their favour so far has been playing as a relative unknown, Breakers coach Kevin Wilson said he has some semblance of an idea of how the Swans play due to a feature of the fixture that existed a few years ago.
“The last time I saw them play was when we met them in the cross-conference matches,” Wilson said.
“My understanding from what I remember is they’re a very strong side, a very aggressive side. We’re looking forward to the challenge and I’m gearing the boys up to meet it.”
Lismore Swans coach Ashley Pritchard left no doubt how important he thinks this weekend’s top of the ladder clash will be.
“It’s huge for us, massive,” Pritchard said.
“You can sort of take the season in blocks of weeks and the current block is Grafton, Coffs and then the Blues. We got through the Grafton game last week although not unscathed, they’re a physical side Grafton.
“Coffs is second on the list and we’ll rock up on Saturday with a positive frame of mind.”
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Todd Matthews has made a welcome return to the Sawtell/Toormina line-up along with his older brother Luke. Photo: Green Shoots Marketing
CASINO know they will once again be the rank underdog this weekend when they travel to Sawtell/Toormina to take on the Saints.
While most think the Saints will get the four points and perhaps a handy percentage boost, Casino coach Rod McKey said the Saints better be prepared for a contest for the full 100 minutes.
“The good thing with this club is nobody drops their heads,” McKey said.
“It’s obviously disappointing to lose but we don’t give up right to the final siren. Even against Lismore we took the last mark of the game, that doesn’t happen if you’ve given up. We’re still competing at the end of the fourth quarter just as hard as we do in the first quarter.”
Fraser Duryea has been the most dangerorus forward in Northern Beaches’ opening two matches. Photo: Green Shoots Marketing
HAVING a week off due to their home ground being closed last weekend means Northern Beaches are still looking to get their first win of the season.
The Blues travel to Nambucca Valley on Saturday to face a Lions outfit also trying to get their first premiership points of 2021. A situation that will ensure a fiercely fought contest.
Northern Beaches coach Rory Evans said if the Blues are to start notching up some victories, it would be easier if they starting moving the ball inside-50 a bit quicker to maximise their scoring opportunities.
“We’ve been slow at times spreading out of contests and because of it our ball movement can be a bit slow and it doesn’t give our forwards like Fraser (Duryea) much of an option when it does go down there and we don’t get our chances,” Evans said.
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Port Macquarie will play its first home match of the 2021 season this Saturday against Grafton. File image: Jo Acton
AFTER starting the AFL North Coast with three straight away games, Port Macquarie is finally ready to settle in at its Wayne Richards Park home.
The Magpies will be in their own nest over the next two weeks with matches against last year’s grand finalists.
This week it’s a meeting with reigning premier Grafton before facing Sawtell/Toormina a week later.
Despite the many hours of travel in the opening three rounds, the senior team managed to secure two wins to be sitting inside the top four.
The only loss was to the top of the ladder Lismore Swans but coach Matt Clarke said there’s a form line that can be read into that result ahead of this Saturday’s clash.
“After seeing how Grafton went against Lismore last week and the margin being pretty similar to when we played against the Swans, I think it’s going to be a competitive game,” Clarke said.
“We’ve got a few players coming back who’ve been injured since the Gala Day that was held before the season started,” Clarke said.
“We’re going to have a full side and we’re really looking forward to it.”
Port Macquarie’s women’s team will be playing its second match since returning to the competition in a match their opposition think could go either way.
“The girls are fairly keen. We’re probably missing one or two this week but that usually happens on long road trips,” Grafton’s women’s coach Warren Bagnall said.
“It should be an interesting game but I think we’ll go alright. I think Port are a team that are a lot like us. We’ve got a lot of youth girls experience with some new older players in the team whereas I believe a lot of their players are fairly new.”
ROUND 4 – Saturday, May 15
NAMBUCCA VALLEY vs NORTHERN BEACHES at EJ Biffin Playing Fields, Nambucca Heads
(2.50pm – Seniors)
LISMORE SWANS vs COFFS BREAKERS at Oakes Oval, Lismore
(1.20pm – Women; 2.50pm – Seniors)
SAWTELL/TOORMINA vs CASINO LIONS at Richardson Park, Sawtell
(10am – Under-17s (Saints vs Breakers); 1.20pm – Reserves (Saints vs Breakers); 2.50pm – Seniors)
PORT MACQUARIE vs GRAFTON at Wayne Richards Park, Port Macquarie
(11.50am – Women; 1.20pm – Reserves; 2.50pm – Seniors)
Final scores from around the grounds will be posted on Twitter soon after the siren sounds in the senior matches – Follow @AFLNorthCoast
Action from when the Lismore Swans and Coffs Breakers women’s teams met in the pre-season at the Festival of Football. Photo: Green Shoots Marketing
