UNITED IN TOP SHAPE FOR NPLW REBOOT
GOLD Coast United’s NPLW squad made history as the first Surfsiders outfit to return to training following a competitionwide COVID-19 lay-off.
But coach Alex Bundalo hopes it won’t be the only slice of history his side claim in 2020.
After threatening last season with a top-four finish, United looked set to take the next step following an earlyseason win over NPLW Queensland fancies Capalaba.
The Coast side went undefeated in the first four rounds to sit top of the table before the season came to a halt.
But Bundalo believes his side is set to pick up where they left off after returning to training in near-identical shape.
“For us, it was a bit of a letdown because we started the competition off very well and a lot of our hard work was coming to fruition,” he said.
“It was disappointing but whatever challenges we have, other clubs will have as well.
“We want to take off confidently from where we left off … we finished that first part of the season with a lot of belief after beating Capalaba and Souths so the challenge will be to not be too overconfident.
“It doesn’t matter who we play, our focus is always on doing what we’re good at instead of worrying about what the other team is doing.”
Bundalo welcomed the return of a fully fit striker Deeanna Thompson from a serious ankle injury early in the season.
“We would have missed her but she’s now a game or even a season-changer,” he said.
It is hoped the NPLW season will restart on July 25.