Unbeaten Joeys and Dragons to face off

AN UNBEATEN first four rounds has given St Joseph’s the perfect start heading into tomorrow’s (Saturday, May 11) Round 5 fixture against Bell Park.

The Dragons also go into the game with a spotless 4-0 start to the GFL season, a fact not lost on St Joseph’s senior coach Ron Watt.

“You want to play against good teams and if you feel like you’re going to be competitive, that’s where you want to be,” Watt said.

“It’s interesting because Bell Park has really emerged this year playing some really good football, so we’ll get a look at them, with Leopold and St Mary’s to follow the two rounds after that.

“If we get an opportunity to play our best football against all three of those teams, it’ll give us an indication of where we sit, and we can plan our year based on that.”

Following two comfortable wins against St Albans and North Shore, Joeys triumphed with a three-goal win over South Barwon on Anzac Day, before easily dismantling neighbour club Newtown & Chilwell by 43 points last weekend.

After tomorrow’s clash against Bell Park, St Joseph’s plays away to Leopold in Round 6 and then returns home in Round 7 against St Mary’s.

Watt said his side has played good footy to date but has yet to put together a full four-quarter effort.

“You’re always happy with winning your first four games, but we still have a bit of building to do. We certainly haven’t played four strong quarters in any of our games, but I suppose all you have to do is play well enough to win,” Watt said.

“We have to get into some good habits; the difference between our best and our worst is just coming together a bit, I believe.

“James Gow and Luke Webb are both Joeys boys, so they’ve blended in well since returning to the club at the start of the year. Liam Betson is the same too. He trained with us all of last year, so having him join the side was a good transition for both him and the group.”

The game between St Joseph’s and Bell Park begins at 2.10pm tomorrow at Hamlyn Park.