QAFL Round 3 Preview

Posted on Friday, 5th May, 2017

Under the microscope

The Western Magpies have had two great wins in a row against the Hawks and Vultures, but will now face some tough opposition in Wilston Grange. It’s a game that will reveal if the Pies have what it takes to step up and become a heavyweight of the competition this season. Gorillas coach Nathan Clarke will be coaching against his old side in the Magpies, so will no doubt draw on some insider knowledge.

The sky lounge

Matthew Surrurier has turned his strong pre-season form into a solid start to the 2017 season. The tall half-back was important again for Morningside, and ahead of their game against Labrador shapes as an important piece of the puzzle. Davey Lewis continues to intercept mark and hit targets by foot for the Magpies; this bloke just makes it difficult for the opposition to work the ball up the field.

Wilston Grange will need to be wary of him when they gain possession on the weekend, or just watch him mark the ball all day long. Adam Clarke was prolific in Labrador’s clash with Palm Beach; the strong midfielder getting on the scoreboard and reminding the QAFL that he’s one of the best ball winners going around.

The danger zone

Grange small defenders should be making preparations this week, because De Winter is coming. Jakob De Winter has kicked five and seven in his first two games and looms as a threatening figure for coach Nathan Clarke and the Gorillas defenders. The high jumping medium forward is a difficult matchup, owing to his dominance in the air and at ground level. The round two Syd Guildford nominee will need some serious attention on Saturday.

Match of the round

Morningside vs. Labrador. Live blog: https://aflq.com.au/morningside-vs-labrador/

Collision course

Mt Gravatt has had plenty of time to think about the round one loss to the Western Magpies and will want to make amends this week against Surfers. It could be argued that they sorely needed some of the practice matches they missed in the pre-season due to the weather, so round three will see them in better touch. The Vultures meet a Demons team just as eager for their first win of the season.

Surfers endured a tough time against the Tigers in round one, then arguably dropped a match they could have won against Broadbeach; kicking 5.16 to Broadbeach’s 6.11, so accuracy was an important factor. Should be a classic encounter of youthful vigor meeting crafty experience.

Way back when

Morningside played Labrador in round 13 last season and went down by 65 points, so will be looking to make more of a contest this time and really try to pressure the premiers into making mistakes.

In round 16 of 2016, Palm Beach Currumbin was two games clear on top of the ladder when they ran into Broadbeach. The Cats got up on the day in a huge upset win, by 11 points (94 to 83), in what was their highlight of the season.

The Lions will look to right some wrongs on the weekend when they meet again. An undermanned Wilston Grange went down to the Western Magpies by 95 points in their last, 2016 Round 12, match. It’s a different looking Gorillas outfit this season though, and the two teams have both impressed in their early outings. Expect a solid contest.

The last time Surfers met Mt Gravatt was, quite simply, a cracking game of footy. The Vultures defeated a gallant Surfers team by one straight kick, to progress to the next week of the finals. The end score was Mt Gravatt 15.9.99 to Surfers Paradise 13.15.93.

Coach’s corner

The Sandgate Hawks have the bye this week and coach Graham ‘Bomber’ Adams took the time to provide some insight on the round’s games.

In the first two rounds the Hawks have clashed with both the Western Magpies and Wilston Grange, leaving him in the perfect position to analyze their round three matchup.

“I reckon they’re two evenly matched teams and I think it’ll be a pretty close game on the weekend mate,” said Bomber.

“Grange are very good inside and Sherwood are very good outside for mine.”

The difference in styles makes for an interesting contest on game day and the team that can get the game played on their terms will have a distinct advantage.

At Jack Esplen Oval, Morningside will take on the reigning premiers and while Bomber thinks the home ground advantage will help the Panthers, it’s a pretty easy call.

“Labrador, for mine, are the stand out. They’re a very good side,” said Adams.

Similar to other coaches at this stage of the season, a lot remains unknown about some teams and Bomber hasn’t seen much of Broadbeach so far. Broadbeach have had a significant list turnover, but Bomber would find it hard to tip against last year’s finalists Palm Beach Currumbin when they meet the Cats.

When it comes to Mt Gravatt against Surfers Paradise, it’s also anyone’s game according to Bomber.

“A lot of the sides are very even and if they play well on the day they’ll win the game. In my opinion, and that’s as simple as it is, I reckon,” he said.

As far as the Hawks form, while they haven’t gotten on the board yet, Bomber remains optimistic.

“We’ve played in some really good patches and some patches that haven’t been so good,” said Bomber.