Coach tips Bulldogs to bounce back from ‘uncharacteristic’ opening round loss

Kieran Iles

Times News Group

GISBORNE’S dual A-grade premiership coach Tarryn Rymer expects the Bulldogs to be a bit of a work in progress early this season as they get used to the absence of some familiar faces and wait to feel the effect of some exciting new combinations.

Beaten by Kangaroo Flat by 28 goals in their season opener at Dower Park, the Bulldogs will this year be without club legends and dual Betty Thompson Medal winners Maddy Stewart, who has moved to Foster, and Tiana Newman (pregnant).

Planning for their tilt at a three-peat of flags suffered a major blow when star goal attack Claudia Mawson went down with a shoulder injury in the lead-up to round one.

Mawson – best on court in the Bulldogs’ stirring 2023 premiership win – has been ruled out indefinitely, with the club hoping she will return sometime during the second half of the season.

Despite some shuffling of the line-up, most notably with young gun and best on court in last year’s grand final win Torie Skrijel moving out to goal attack and recruit Sheridan Townrow slotting in at goal shooter, Rymer refused to use injuries and player absences as an excuse for their disappointing 64-36 loss to the Roos.

“It was a very uncharacteristic game by us and certainly not a measure of where we are at, but mentally we could have been a bit better,” she said.

“We weren’t our usual selves, that’s for sure.

“You can say we missed Maddy and Tiana, but we have played without them before.

“In 2023, we didn’t have Tiana for nearly half a season and Maddy wasn’t here, so being without them is not exactly new to the girls.

“In general, we made some mistakes, and Flat are a very strong and relentless side when you do that.

“Collectively, they played really well and did their roles well.

“They are going to take some catching, that’s for sure.”

While Mawson shapes as a huge loss, the plan this season always was for Skrijel to spend more time at goal attack, with the Bulldogs’ dual premiership co-captain expected to miss plenty of BFNL netball due to other netball commitments, including those with the Melbourne Vixens’ Super Netball Reserves side.

Rymer backed her young goaler to rise to the challenge, just as she has done in back-to-back grand final triumphs, including last season’s best on court effort,

“It is hard without Clauds (Mawson) because Torie is not a natural goal attack and hasn’t played there for a while,” she said.

“She’s not really replaceable in our attack end – she’s very instrumental in setting up and creating play.

“But we will certainly put a lot of time and effort into that, and I know Torie will build into the role.”

Recruited from Romsey, Emily Miles was another new face for Gisborne on Saturday, playing in the midcourt.

Rymer said one of the great things about sport was that you nearly always got a chance to rebound.

For the Bulldogs, that opportunity arrives on Good Friday against South Bendigo.

Tipped to be big improvers, a rejuvenated Bloods, aided by a swag of fresh faces, including their new goaling combination of Gabe Richards and Olivia Jones and young gun midcourter Kyla Byrne, opened the season in style with a 15-goal win over Strathfieldsaye.

Rymer is anticipating a stern test against the Lauren Bowles-coached Bloods.

“It’s hard to tell this early in the season where everyone sits, but they have recruited well,” she said.

“I know the girls will certainly be looking to bounce back.

“You would prefer this loss (against Kangaroo Flat) to happen now rather than later, but we’ll certainly be looking to redeem ourselves.”