With the Easter break in the rearview, the South East Queensland Division 1 Women’s competition recommences tomorrow (Saturday) afternoon.
In the game of the round, the undefeated Brothers Ipswich will travel to Suzuki Stadium, Langlands Park to take on the Tigers.
The Ipswich side have set the standard in the opening fortnight with a big 34-0 win over Wests Panthers in Round 1 and a hard fought 16-12 win over defending champions Burleigh in Round 2.
They have scored the most points, conceded the fewest and are already the only unbeaten team left in the competition.
“I think we’ve come out of the blocks fairly well,” Brothers Ipswich coach Bec Jones said.
“There are some things that we’ve done really well and then there are other things that we’re still working on and developing.
“We’re travelling well, but it’s basically about making sure we play for the full 70 minutes and try not to lapse every now and then.
“Other than that, you’ve got to be happy with two-from-two and we’ll see how we go for the rest of the year.”
Runners up in 2017, Jones said her side has been working to improve on that foundation and the early results are promising.
Not only are they the only team to beat Burleigh since 2016, they have now defeated them three times out of their last four meetings. Jones said her team has gelled well as a unit and that was where results are coming from.
“They are all competing, and that’s all that we ask for,” she said. “Whether they are a rep player or not, they are all doing the job that we ask of them.
“I think our defence has definitely improved, compared to last year. We’ve got a few new girls this year and we’ve got some girls there from last year that have now gained a bit more experience on what to expect now that they’re in their second year of Div 1.
“I just think a lot of elements have compounded together and allowed us to travel well as a team so far.”
Their early form will be put to the test when they face a confident Tigers outfit fresh off a 30-16 Round 2 win over Toowoomba.
They may have gone down to Burleigh in Round 1, but the Tigers still boast the second best attacking record in the competition and it sets up what should be an exciting contest.
“Every time we’ve played easts we’ve always had good battles with them,” Jones said.
“Like us, they’ve got a fair few new players with them and they’ve got a bit of experience with the rep players that they’ve got. It’s fair to say we expect them to attack across the board and I’m sure they’ll bring it again this time.”
Kick-off between the Tigers and Brothers Ipswich is 3pm tomorrow (Saturday, April 7).
Elsewhere in Round 3 action the Panthers host Toowoomba tomorrow (Saturday at 1.45pm), while on Sunday, Burleigh travel to Davies Park to take on Souths Magpies at 4.45pm.
>>The game between Souths Magpies and Burleigh Bears will be streamed live here.
>>See the full list of fixtures and results for all three senior women's divisions here
