Kuwarna will renew hostilities with long-time AFLW rival Brisbane at Norwood Oval this Sunday with a fire in its belly, according to spearhead Caitlin Gould.
Since the inception of the AFLW competition in 2017, Kuwarna has recorded just three victories against Brisbane, and has fallen to the Lions in each of the past three finals series.
This Sunday, Gould and her teammates will get an opportunity to buck recent history and secure a critical win against the Lions on their Norwood Oval home deck.
She said the challenge was one the group would relish.
“It’s always a challenge coming up against Brisbane, we’ve only had three wins against them in our history, so we’re super keen to buck the trend and get one over them,” Gould said.
“Both teams have been in the League since the start and have been pushing up that top area of the ladder, so the stakes have always been quite high in those games.
“They’ve got really good competitors and talent across the field, and I think that’s made for some great battles over the years.
“To hear that stat (only three wins against Brisbane) it certainly puts the fire in our bellies, we’re definitely due for a win and getting that win this weekend would be super important for our season.”
Critical to the team’s chance of winning will be the performance of its forward line, which bounced back from a tough Round One showing to produce the Club’s biggest AFLW score in a quarter (7.0) against Geelong in Round Two.
It then backed it up with a winning score against GWS at Henson Park on Saturday, helping Kuwarna to a 2-1 record.
Gould said it had been pleasing to see the group jell in the past fortnight.
“That last quarter against the Cats was definitely the type of footy we are wanting to play, and I think if we’re able to perform like that consistently it will be super important for us,” Gould said.
“The make up of our forward line is really starting to take shape now, we’ve had India Rasheed come in, who’s been a great asset for us.
“And then we’ve had EJ come back from injury as well, so it feels like we’ve really built as a forward unit over the first part of the season.
“You can tell that our connection is improving each and every week, and hopefully we can continue to build and kick big scores in the next few weeks - starting with Brisbane on Sunday.”
Kuwarna will have the advantage of its home fans behind it, as it returns to Norwood Oval for the first time this season.
“We just play so well in front of our fans because they get us up and about, and we love it,” Gould said.
“I’m super excited to be back at Norwood this weekend, the atmosphere is always amazing and I feel we all get that bit of extra motivation with our fans behind us.”
Kuwarna takes on Brisbane at Norwood Oval this Sunday, with the first bounce at 12.35pm ACST.
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