Labrador tip Fagan to make an impact

BEN Fagan will make his QAFL debut for Labrador this weekend as the Tigers search for their first win of the season.

The recruit has been confirmed for the Round 4 game against Surfers Paradise at Sir Bruce Small Park tomorrow while Danny Middleton will also return after missing the club’s last game due to family commitments.

Fagan is a former captain of Goulburn Valley Football League club Mansfield but missed the opening games of the 2019 season for Labrador due to a suspension given at the end of 2018 with his former Victorian club.

Labrador coach Liam Burke said he expected Fagan to make an immediate impact as he prepares to play alongside key forward and Tigers captain Bryce Retzlaff in front of goal.

“He hasn’t missed a beat over summer and has been pretty professional with his preparation,” Burke said.

“He is 31 now and didn’t know if he was going to play until he got up here.”

Labrador are 0-2 this season after losses to the Western Magpies and Morningside before having a bye last weekend.

“It’s been frustrating and we were definitely in both of those games,” Burke said.

“It’s such an even competition that you can’t afford to take the foot off the pedal at any stage of the game.

“It’s got to be a full fourquarter effort.”

Burke said Labrador had suffered from poor turnovers going inside their forward 50m.

“They would go and get a couple over the back after we turn it over. We are probably going in too shallow, too wide,” he said.

“We have probably been a bit too quick to pull the trigger when we need to go slower and gone slow when we need to go quicker. We haven’t got that balance right yet.”