Makeover is paying off
Fresh faces at USQ pays dividends
FOOTBALL: USQ and Rockville’s Toowoomba Football League clash tomorrow represents an exhibition of two teams who have undergone a serious makeover since their 2016 seasons.
Rockville bolstered its ranks with a number of recruits in the off-season, while USQ raided the South-West Thunder youth to land a number of impressive young players.
And their new additions seem to be paying off.
Rockville avenged a winless 2016 with three points in the opening round of the season, while USQ has put four goals past reigning premiers West Wanderers and Warwick so far this season.
“We brought in a few of the Thunder under 20 boys and they are showing the other fellas how to play,” USQ coach Gavin Freier said.
“They are definitely making a big difference.”
Both sides missed out on the grand final last season and took the time off during the hiatus to really assess what they needed to
compete at the top end of the table.
“We are undefeated so far and the win against Wanderers was the best run we had all year,” Freier said.
“The real test will be against Rockville who are up-and-comers and it is good for Toowoomba Football to see them improving.”
Freier knows what his opponents are capable of, drawing comparisons to his
debut season as coach.
“Last year was a learning curve for them and they needed to know what they needed to improve on,” he said.
“Last year was my first full year as coach and we started off very slow before we had a seven-game unbeaten run - that was a learning curve for us.”
USQ is hoping three more points tomorrow will send a
message to the rest of the competition and Freier is setting the bar high for his second season in charge.
“I think we’re only warming up,” he said. “The Wanderers game was our first actual run together and we haven’t even hit full strength yet.
“Give us another round or two and we will be at full strength.”
USQ vs Rockville kicks off