Sharks ready to test themselves against top-of-the-table Bulls in round three of new GSFL season

Albany are ready for the challenge of tackling an in-form Mt Barker in an intriguing clash that has plenty riding on it in round three at Retravision Stadium on Saturday. Both sides have started the season strongly with two wins and the Bulls surged to top spot on the Great Southern Football League ladder after their 190-point demolition of Denmark-Walpole last week. Sharks coach Jamie Ramm said his team remain focused on improving their own game ahead of the showdown with the Bulls. However, they will be without at least one big name, with star midfielder Cameron Jones already an omission. “We’ll just keep working on the things we’ve been working on and keep slowly improving,” Ramm said. “Cameron Jones will be out with COVID so he won’t play and there’s a chance there will be a couple more out before the weekend. “Mt Barker are probably the in-form team in the competition so it’s going to be a big ask. “Hopefully we can continue to improve though, which is what we aim to do.” The Sharks are coming off a gutsy win against a fast-finishing North Albany that gave Ramm’s side a late fourth quarter scare after six late majors put the result in doubt. They showed great resilience late, however, holding on to secure their second win of the season. Both teams’ forward lines are brimming with goal kickers, Matthew Martin and Brett Peake the spearheads up front for Sharks. In a similar vein Zach Jackson and Keegan Berry have been on fire for the Bulls across the first three rounds. The Bulls have been a big talking point this year after defeating reigning premiers Railways and almost knocking off Royals in the opening round. Jackson has been on target in front of goal this season and the 23-year-old will be looking to add to his already impressive goal tally of 17 majors. Bulls’ Darcy Wallinger and Sharks’ Kane Pinney have also been outstanding intercept players for their respective clubs in defence and will both play key roles in Saturday’s clash. Bulls coach David Johnson believes the round three fixture can be an important catalyst for the rest of the season. “We’re looking forward to the challenge, we’re pretty happy with our form,” he said. “I know they (Denmark-Walpole) were struggling but they’ve been reasonably competitive up until we played them on the weekend. “We’re just playing very well, it’s probably the best I’ve ever seen (us) play in terms of linking the back up to the front. “They (Sharks) were the big improvers and they ended up knocking us off last year, so these early wins are important and we see it as a massive round.” Johnson said his side had been affected by COVID in the early rounds and knows it will continue to cause problems. “We’ll have to see how COVID plays out, we’ve lost four so far and that’s going to cause us some major problems,” Johnson said. “We’ve still got Chris Marston out with a quad injury and Dylan Gowdie is away for the next month so they are significant players too. “We don’t have a lot of depth in our reserves so these early wins are really important as we hit that COVID cycle.” In the other Saturday fixture in round three, the Tigers travel to McLean Park to face the winless Magpies. The Kangas will come up against the Lions in the sole Sunday fixture at Collingwood Park.