Katrina Fanning Shied: Round One Preview
The Katrina Fanning Shield returns this weekend with three blockbuster matchups, highlighted by the defending premiers in the West Belconnen Warriors travelling to Yass to face the Magpies.
Queanbeyan Blues vs Belconnen United Sharks, Seiffert Oval, 10:30am, Saturday April 11
The Queanbeyan Blues welcome the Belconnen United Sharks at Seffiert Oval on Saturday morning for an exciting clash.
The Blues return to the KFS competition after injury's last year saw them withdraw, whilst the Sharks finished second last year and suffered defeat in the Grand Final against the West Belconnen Warriors.
For the Blues, after a difficult season last year, the club will be looking to recapture their 2024 form, with Sam De Greff crediting head coach Bec Maher-Hill to the sides return to the competition.
"She’s been the top driving force, and she’s been recruiting a lot of the girls back and the whole community is really thriving at the moment," De Graff said.
Whilst, the Sharks will be looking to bounce back after a difficult Grand Final loss, with Jayda Danilczak stating they have strong group of juniors coming through.
"We are getting a lot of talent through the younger girls and having that pathway for them to come through KFS just allows them to continue growing the game and not stop at Juniors," Danilczak said.
Belconnen United will be looking to announce themselves as a title contender once again this weekend, whilst for Queanbeyan they will be aiming to mark their return with a win.
Tuggeranong Bushrangers vs Gungahlin Bulls, Greenway Oval, 10:40am, Saturday April 11
The Gungahlin Bulls travel to Greenway Oval to kick of their season against the Tuggeranong Bushrangers on Saturday morning.
After a strong end of the season saw Tuggeranong finish in sixth, the side will be looking to improve upon this result with outside back Jana Teivonen stating this is the Bushrangers main focus.
"This year we are really focusing on keeping that building going rather than resetting," Teivonen said.
Meanwhile, the Gungahlin Bulls narrowly missed out on the finals last year, finishing in fifth position, with 2025 Female Rookie of the Year Molly Sturgiss declaring the sides finals intention.
"Last year, finishing in fifth place, we just missed out on the semis, but the girls have just brought a brand-new energy this year and are ready for pre-season, and we want to make finals," Sturgiss said.
Both sides will be aiming to start their season with a victory against a fellow finals contender, making this a matchup to keep your eye on.
Yass Magpies vs West Belconnen Warriors, Walker Park, 12:00pm, Saturday April 11
The Yass Magpies will host the defending premiers in the West Belconnen Warriors at Walker Park in a mouthwatering matchup.
After last year's premiership victory, the Warriors have set their sights on back-to-back titles with Maddison Harney declaring that the squad's goal remains the same.
"We have a really good squad together, but we will just take it week by week and see how we go, but that’s always the main goal [making the final]," Harney said.
Meanwhile, the Magpies finished fourth last year and suffered defeat in the Elimination Final, with Sydney Harrison saying her side has refleted on the positives and negatives from 2025.
"We will look back at last year and take a few positives and negatives from it, we climbed our way up the ladder despite low numbers and a few injuries which set us back, and we couldn't finish the job we wanted," Harrison said.
The Magpies will be looking to gain a scalp early in the season, whilst for the Warriors they will be looking to start their title defence off strongly.
