Season Preview 2024: Belconnen United Sharks
The Belconnen United Sharks excitingly introduce their inaugural Katrina Fanning Shield side in 2024, while building on the strong season they had in both the Canberra Raiders Cup First Grade & Ladies League Tag last year.
The Sharks had a highly successful year in the first-grade competition, finishing the regular season in fourth to play in a finals series for the first time in a decade.
Despite falling short in the preliminary final, 2023 marked a strong year for the Sharks that captain-coach Zac Patch is excited to improve on.
“Last year was awesome, we had a really successful year, we’re looking to build on that again," said Patch.
“We recruited really well and we’re starting to bond really well as a team.”
The club introduce their inaugural Katrina Fanning Shield team into the competition this year which showcases the growth of the women's game in the region.
Sharks KFS player Catherine Carling spoke to the excitement of the club and the teams focus to bond as a group.
“It’s really exciting, we’re super pumped for the year, the club is absolutely awesome and has been really supportive of all us new girls coming on board," Carling said.
“The preseason has been great and the focus has been bonding".
Belconnen League Tag player Amber Waters spoke about their fresh start in 2024, with a lot of new players coming in.
“We’ve lost quite a few players, so we’re starting with a brand new squad," said Waters.
"It’s exciting, it’s a great fresh start for us. They’re willing to learn and if we can mould them into some good players, hopefully in a couple years to come we can have a good contending team up there in the finals.
“At this point in time I just want the team to be able to come off the field and say that they really enjoyed it and that they’re ready to keep going”.
The Belconnen United Sharks will take on the Queanbeyan Kangaroo's in the Canberra Raiders Cup and the Bungendore Kangaroo's in the Katrina Fanning Shield in round one at NSWRL HQ, Bruce.
