Match of the Round – AFL CW Tier 1: Bushrangers vs Giants

 

Bathurst Bushrangers vs Bathurst Giants

Time: Saturday May 8, 2:15pm

Ground: George Park 2, Bathurst

 

In Round 2 of the AFL Central West Tier 1 competition, it’s a 2020 Grand Final rematch as the defending premiers Bathurst Bushrangers take on the Bathurst Giants at George Park 2. Excitingly for the two clubs, their Tier 2 and Women’s sides also clash earlier in the day, and with the Bushrangers Outlaws hosting Parkes Panthers, it means all seven Bathurst-based senior sides are playing in Bathurst today. With the day’s games kicking off at 11am, George Park is definitely the place to be.

 

Bathurst Bushrangers

For the Bathurst Bushrangers, the side will look to build upon their performance from last week, when they defeated the Orange Tigers by 85 points. For Bushrangers coach Tim Hunter, the Round 1 performance was a good starting point for the team.

“We are quite happy with the outcome and how we played, there are just a few little things to work on moving forward,” Hunter said.

The Bushrangers hit the training paddock hard this week, looking to improve in a few key areas as they prepare to face up against the team they defeated in last year’s Grand Final. Decision making and goal kicking were the big focus this week for Hunter.

“We struggled a little bit with our decision making and goal kicking, which is what we have focused on at training this week,” Hunter admitted.

Looking ahead to the match of the round clash, Hunter is excited to see how his team performs against last year’s grand finalist.

“It’s going to be a tough game, the Giants had a really good win last weekend against a quality side in Dubbo,” Hunter said.

“They were a great side last year, but we know they are really hungry to go one better this year.”

“We are really excited by the challenge, and hopefully it’s a good game.”

 

Bathurst Giants

For the Bathurst Giants, the side won’t look to take too much away from last week’s performance, when they defeated an under strength Dubbo Demons side by 103 points. For Giants coach Mark Kennedy, while the Round 1 victory was nice for the team, Dubbo weren’t at full strength.

“Dubbo were undermanned a little bit, and a lot of their players played back for their reserve grade side, so eight quarters of football is a big ask for players, especially traveling,” Kennedy said.

The Giants have been busy on the training paddock this week, focused on sharpening their skills ahead of this weekend’s game against the Bushrangers. Possession football and limiting the time for 50/50 contested balls were the focus for the team according to Kennedy.

“We have worked on possession football, and limiting the time for 50/50 contested balls, making sure we have clean possession of the footy, and when we have it, to use it effectively,” Kennedy said.

Looking ahead to the match of the round clash, Kennedy admitted that it’s exciting to play the Bushrangers in the local derby.

“The Bushrangers are unquestionably the benchmark team in the competition at the moment, and rightly so, the side has been in every grand final since their inception,” Kennedy said.

“They have got a really good base of players that they have had around for a while, so they know the way that each other plays, and they have a good solid game plan.”

“It will be a really good litmus test for us to see where we are.”

 

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