BMD Premiership Round 3 preview
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The Brisbane Tigers are on the prowl, hunting for their first win this weekend, as they look to shed their underdog tag.
The Tigers have started the 2023 BMD Premiership season with a 24-12 loss to the Souths Logan Magpies and a 16-16 draw with Norths Devils, but know they are inching closer to earning two points on the ladder.
This week they will come up against Tweed at Piggabeen, with the Seagulls also searching for their first victory of the year.
But for the Tigers, it’s not just about getting a win this weekend, but also making a statement after the club did not sign any players with NRLW experience for the season.
Coach Adrian Vowles said it was a purposeful choice not to pursue any big name stars, with the Tigers determined to develop their own players and to bring some new names to the forefront.
Match: Seagulls v Tigers
Round 3 -
home Team
Seagulls
8th Position
away Team
Tigers
4th Position
Venue: Piggabeen Sports Complex, Tweed Heads
“We want to stick with the girls we’ve got,” Vowles said.
“They’ve come from so many different backgrounds and grown as players and we wanted to develop that and give them the opportunity to continue to grow.
“We knew our 19s would start to come through this year as well and we were big on youth. I played A-grade in Charleville when I was 16 and it was one of the best things that could happen to my career so I’m big on incorporating youth, as long as they’re ready.
“We have no one in our squad who has played NRLW, but we hope to change that.
“No one really looks at us and gives us a chance but we believe in what we can do and hopefully keep improving.”
Top five: BMD Premiership Round 2
Led by skipper Narikah Orchard – who only started playing last year and was crowned Brisbane’s best for the 2022 season – and the versatile Jamie-Lee Lewis, the Tigers squad is certainly starting to make their mark.
Both Vowles and Norths coach Zac Wallwork felt the Tigers deserved the win in last week’s draw with the Devils and Vowles is confident fans will continue to see week-on-week improvement.
Those who have already started to make a statement this season include Tara Reinke from Gatton – labelled by Vowles as one of the best props in the competition – and five-eighth Tayla Eldridge, who is on the comeback trail from a ruptured ACL last year.
Vowles can also see a lot of development in centre Keisha-Leigh Coolwell, while Poria Bourke has added plenty of excitement to Brisbane’s backline.
Then there’s young teenage fullback Montaya Hudson who has future star written all over her.
Round 2 feature game highlights: Magpies v Seagulls
But it is crucial that if they want to achieve their goal of playing finals footy this season, they need to get the two points over Tweed this Saturday.
With the competition almost at the halfway mark, Vowles knows every single round counts.
“A win would be massive for us and our season,” he said.
“It’s only a seven game season, you can’t afford too many slip ups. We want to make the semis and you have to keep getting the results so a win against Tweed would be a step in the right direction.
“They have some good players in Rona Peters and Jamie Chapman is an outstanding player.
“We want to improve again on (the Round 2) performance. I thought that was our best performance so far this year, including trials.
“We played really well as a team which is good to see.”
Elsewhere in Round 3, Wynnum Manly and Norths will also both be fighting for their first wins of the season when they meet at Iona College.
Competition leaders Mackay Cutters will host Burleigh Bears, who are also undefeated after the opening two rounds, setting the stage for a blockbuster clash at BB Print Stadium.
Meanwhile, the only other team sitting on two wins - Souths Logan Magpies - will head to Rockhampton to take on the Central Queensland Capras.
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