Lauderdale coach is preparing for a tough contest against a fellow premiership contender

Lauderdale might have lost just one game this season but coach Brent Dolliver is all too aware of the challenges other sides can present. See what he said.

Lauderdale are still the benchmark of the SFL Premier League competition but coach Brent Dolliver isn’t buying into the fact his side are premiership favourites.

The Bombers have lost just the one game this season when they were upset by Glenorchy thanks to Magpies young gun Jake Beams’ two final quarter goals.

This week the Bombers will host second placed Clarence, in what could be a grand final preview.

Dolliver said you cannot take anyone lightly.

Lauderdale coach Brent Dolliver addresses his Bombers at Ninja Stadium. Picture James Bresnehan

“It is a challenge in itself, we are happy being hunted but clubs are improving,” Dolliver said

“We have lost to Glenorchy and I think they have a lot of room for improvement as well.

“Then Clarence, they are a very young talented side, Kingborough we have had trouble with as well as Brighton at times and North Hobart are playing some good footy.

“Every team is getting better and better and we’ve just got to find ways for our boys to keep getting better or we could get swamped at the wrong time of the year.

“It is still good to be hunted, you are playing some good footy if you are hunted but I think we will be doing some hunting this week with some changes made and young kids coming in, giving them some opportunity to play against a quality side in Clarence.”

The Bombers will be without Andrew Phillips who was given a one match ban for striking in the rep game against NTFA and along with a number of injuries has opened doors for players to step into league footy.

“We have a fair few injuries and with Philp out with suspension so it is a good opportunity for these guys to play against some talented kids they would have played against at junior level but get to step up and play senior footy now,” Dolliver said.

“They are ready to go, we wouldn’t be playing them unless they were ready to play some senior footy.

“We got a couple of debutants this week that we are really looking forward to watching play.”

The Bombers and the Roos kick off at 1.30pm on Saturday at Lauderdale Oval.

How Brighton coach has changed in 2025

Brighton may not have won a game this season but coach Paul Kennedy believes he and his players continue to learn and get closer to that ever elusive win.

Stepping up into the SFL Premier League, taking on five former TSL clubs, the Robins have shown glimpses of their best.

Kennedy said this year there was a lot of individual feedback for one another.

“It is a longer process, last week we had no one in our team who was born last century,” Kennedy said.

“So it is a really inexperienced group, so it is just learning, it is really hard to fast track leadership.

Glenorchy's Baker Smith and Brighton coach Paul Kennedy ahead of thee matchup in this weekends SFL Premier League clash. Picture: Jacob Doole

“We are teaching that a lot, it’s about what are the things you do in the moment when other teams get a run on.

“And the teams in this comp can all get a run on, they are really good teams and one thing we talk about is not doing things more individually.

“Because that is temptation, I have to do more but what you end up with there is a bunch of individuals.

“You’ve actually got to come together more as a team, you’ve got go back to the things you do well, you’ve got to use your voice to each other to make sure you keep that structure, make sure your set up is right because if you don’t do that then the other team makes you pay.”

Kennedy said previous experience had been something he could lean into.

“I have been coaching young teams for a while now, I coached the development team at Coburg, most of my time at Glenorchy we were pretty young and obviously my time at Brighton we’ve been a really young group,” he said.

“It’s just a constant working process, feedback around things people need to do in certain moments.

“It’s on the training track, giving them more ownership in setting what we need to be doing in these drills.

“You can’t fast track it, you’ve got to be patient and enjoy watching them grow.”

The Robins will travel to Glenorchy to play them for the third time this season.

Brighton hosted the Magpies in the opening game of the season, going down by 31 points with Glenorchy running away with the second encounter, claiming a 51-point victory.

Demons not taking Tigers lightly in monster clash at North Hobart

North Hobart won’t be taking Kingborough lightly according to star Grace White when the two sides meet for the round 11 clash on Saturday.

The Tigers are coming off massive wins against second placed Clarence and Glenorchy and will now challenge the ladder leaders on their home deck at North Hobart Oval.

White said the Demons will need to make sure they put four quarters together.

“They are in really good form at the moment so it is going to be really important for us to play well,” White said.

“We’ve been working on our handle game to get out of congestion because we know they are a very good tight contested team.

Kingborough's Ella Wall and North Hobart's Grace White speak about the matchup against each other in this weekends SFL Premier League clash. Picture: Jacob Doole

“I think that was what they did really well against Clarence and Glenorchy so hopefully we can counteract that and use it to our advantage to get out to our runners.

The two sides have met twice this season with the Demons taking out an 18-point win in round 1 at home and a 17-point win in the round 7 clash at Twin Ovals.

Tigers’ Ella Wall said the key is to start well.

“They are a very good side, they are very talented, they have got a lot of talented players who offer a lot,” Wall said.

“So if we can match up with them, we will have a really good chance and I think we just need to back ourselves a bit more.

“We know we have the skills and the talent in the team to be at the standard that North Hobart are at, so I definitely think it is possible.

“Coming off the Clarence game was very good for us, we kind of found our rhythm which was good because it did just get everyone up and about and everyone felt more confident and (has) started to know each other a bit more and connected more.”

The Tigers sit third, three games behind the Demons on top of the ladder with their game kicking off at 4pm on Saturday at North Hobart Oval.

Originally published as Lauderdale coach is preparing for a tough contest against a fellow premiership contender