The Bulldogs are “jumping out of their skin” to play in Saturday’s grand final rematch against Bracknell after the bye – particularly the trio of Josh Harris, Ben Tregurtha and Gareth Holt.  

“Those three particularly are younger guys who hadn’t played senior footy who look like they’ve played for years,” Harding said.

“They’re not household names or anything like that, but they’re doing their job.

“We’ve slowly raised the bar each week but we’ve got plenty of improvement still left in us which is a positive.”

Bracknell coach Gary Shipton said his side struggled to get going in its loss to Hillwood and would need time to build chemistry.

“(Grand final rematches) always have a bit more in it so we’ll put our best foot forward, we’ve just got play our best footy,” Shipton said.

“We’ve got about eight new players in the side from last year so we’re still learning how to play with each other and a few guys just adapting to the game plan.”

Both coaches acknowledged the importance of the division’s leading forward Ben Elmer ahead of ROCHERLEA’s trip to Hillwood. 

Suburban Tigers coach Lyndon Stubbs said his side was yet to hit top gear despite Elmer’s dominance in the forward 50.

“He’s always been a vital player in our setup so it’s not a real surprise that he’s getting rewards on the scoreboard,” Stubbs said.

“He was probably the one setting up goals for the other guys last year and playing higher up the ground, but we’ve got him deeper at the minute and he plays both roles really well.”

Jake Lowe’s Sharks played their best game of the season last weekend and will recall Jesse Higgs to help cover the loss of Shaun Worker and Matthew Bennett. 

“That’s where we want to play - that’s the level we want to play at both when we have the ball in hand and when we don’t,” Lowe said. 

“Our tackling was awesome which meant they had some wider and not as deep inside-50 entries and were having shots on goal from different areas.”

BRIDGENORTH is refusing to get ahead of itself despite two straight wins, says coach Brady Demeijer.

The Parrots blew George Town away with a 10-goal first term last weekend, and will need to bring similar intent to win at Scottsdale.

“This is our first real test of the year coming up against a finalist from last year, so it’ll be good to see where we’re at,” Demeijer said.

“We’ve been caught out in previous years getting beaten in first quarters so that’s something we’ve really tried to improve on, but our defensive ability (last weekend) to only give them three goals was the thing I was most impressed with.”

Scottsdale will be strengthened by the addition of Tom McWatters as Geoff Mohr’s troops look to grab their second win in a row. 

Leigh Nichols kicked eight goals last weekend and will prove a tough assignment for the Parrots’ back six.

“He did a good job down there,” Mohr said.

“How we moved the footy to him was a lot better than the last couple of weeks so it made it a bit easier for him.”

LONGFORD will host Deloraine with renewed confidence after winning a thriller at Rocherlea.

Coach Beau Thorp is confident his side can cover for missing pair Lachie Dakin and captain Tom Cox.

“Hopefully the boys can string a couple together now and really the make most of the start of the season,” he said.

Deloraine coach Bradley Powe said visiting Longford was always tough but backed his players to hold strong to the game plan. 

“It’s a real credit to the group that they’re committed to the long haul,” Powe said.

“They realise that at times we’re going to come up against some really good opposition but they’re not shying away from the game plan.”