Southport Sharks falter against Aspley but manage to win as NEAFL season nears

THE Southport Sharks have overcome what Stephen Daniel said could be their worst quarter of football ever during his time at the club to secure a 29-point win over Aspley.

THE Southport Sharks have overcome what Stephen Daniel said could be their worst quarter of football ever during his time at the club to secure a 29-point win over Aspley.

The Sharks found themselves seven goals down in the first term on Saturday at Fankhauser Reserve, prompting Daniel to forgo any more preseason experiments in order to wrestle momentum back before claiming the 13.21 (99) to 11.4 (70).

“I couldn’t believe how bad we played (in the first term),” Daniel said.

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“We were beaten in every aspect of the game to be honest. I don’t know if we have ever played that bad.

“In saying that to, we were playing a few boys, not out of position, but we were experimenting a little bit.

“We had a few boys playing in roles they are not used to. We wanted to have a look and that’s the whole idea of a practice match, to try different things.

“At quarter time we spoke about it, changed a few things structurally and put guys back in their normal role.

Mitchell Johnson kicked three goals for Southport. Picture: Jerad Williams

“Credit to the boys for working themselves back into the contest. A few teams would just throw the towel in when they are seven goals behind. But the boys stuck to their structure and started doing things really well that we come to expect from them.”

Mitch Johnson kicked three goals while Emmanuel Baru and Kai Sheers each kicked two.

The likes of 2018 club best and fairest Michael Manteit and recruits Matt Shaw and Mackenzie Willis were rested for the game and Daniel said he would have a hard time finding who should make way for them when the season proper starts on April 6 against Redland.

Meanwhile, the Gold Coast Suns NEAFL side produced a 128-point win over QAFL team Palm Beach Currumbin at Metricon Stadium on Sunday.

Corey Ellis made his club debut for the Suns along with Sam Fletcher while Jack Leslie also marked his return from injury.