The final match of the opening round marks the debut competitive fixture for the newly-formed Moreton Bay Jets, who welcome Gold Coast powerhouse Palm Beach Sharks.

Despite the challenges of building from scratch, Jets Head Coach Terry Kirkham is adamant his team will deliver adroit and attacking football come match day.

“We’re aiming for a high possession, intensity based game. We’re looking to score goals but to also be strong off the ball,” Kirkham explained.

“We’re working on two sides of the football – when we have the ball we want to move things forward quickly, when we don’t have the ball we want to win it back as quick as we can.”

Kirkham says he isn’t concerned that wet weather might put the dampeners on his intended style of play, “We played on the ground two weeks ago and it was magnificent – it definitely holds the water well.”

“We’ve also been able to combat the weather,” he elaborated, “We played a friendly in Stanthorpe, which meant we had a game on when other teams didn’t and that will certainly help us.”

Sharks Technical Director Gary French believes the Gold Coast-based club will do well in the opening round but remains focused more on long-term development than this weekend’s opposition.

“We don’t really know what to expect from Moreton Bay so at the end of the day we’re concentrating on what we’re trying to do as a club,” French explained.

“We’ve got good coaches and we’ve got a lot of talent players at the club – it’s a young and enthusiastic team we’ve got.”

French insisted his side had prepared well for the season, “Obviously it’s been a bit difficult with the wet weather but that’s the same for everybody.”

“However, in preseason I’ve been very impressed with our defensive organisation and attack-wise we have some very quick and mobile players up the front.”

“I think it’s a good balance between our experienced and younger players. We also have a lot of talent in the U20’s as well and we’ll be looking to promote them throughout the year.”

Words: Michael Flynn (Football Queensland)