Sorell opens SFL season in style but faces stern test in round two against last year’s grand finalists
Sorell heads south buoyed by a 50-point win in the SFL season opener but on high alert of a Cygnet side smarting from a stunning fade out in its round one encounter
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TIM Castle couldn’t have asked for a better introduction into his SFL coaching tenure following Sorell’s barnstorming start to the 2021 season.
However the Eagles face a serious examination in round two against one of the premiership fancies eager to atone for their own embarrassing fade out.
A 50-point win against Brighton — albeit somewhat wasteful in front of goal — left Castle a happy man following round one.
The side’s credentials as a genuine finals contender will be put to the test on the road against Cygnet, who blew an eight goal lead against Hobart.
“I was very impressed and happy with the whole group, especially with the new boys, they have really bought in to what we are trying to achieve this year and I couldn’t ask for a better performance for the first round,” Castle said.
“From the first bounce to the last siren we dominated all day barring a couple of patches here and there.
“But realistically if you have 25 more scoring shots, that’s a pretty dominant display.”
Castle expects the Port to be breathing fire on their home turf following their loss to the Tigers.
Having piled on 8.5 to a solitary point in the opening quarter, last year’s grand finalists managed just four goals for the remainder of the contest to go down by eight points.
“Being 50 points up at quarter time you’d think they are going to run home with a big win and they get rolled in the last quarter, I reckon they would’ve copped a bit of a spray during the week and a bit of a kick up the bum,” Castle said.
“They will be wanting to atone for last week’s loss and come out firing.
“It’s going to be a tough ask for us, but it’s a task we are more than capable of taking on and hopefully coming home with the chocolates.”
In other round two matches Brighton hosts Huonville, Lindisfarne starts its campaign on the road against Dodges Ferry while Claremont — smacked by 250 points last week — welcomes Hobart to Abbotsfield Park.
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