Stars away leaves others to step up

A HOST of impressive recruits will again be tasked with stepping up as Burleigh seek to defy the absence of key members for their Round 4 clash with Toowoomba today.

The South East Queensland Women’s Division One defending premiers will make the trip west without coach Tahnee Norris or captain Tallisha Harden, who both have clashing work commitments.

Tim McIntyre will step in as Norris’ substitute.

Key forward Chelsea Lenarduzzi (pictured) said the early rounds had prepared their newer team members for the task. “The new girls have actually been pretty impressive,” she said.

“Because of the Commonwealth Games and a few personal things across the team, we’ve had a lot of the newer girls playing more minutes than probably they or the team were expecting.”

The Bears are one of four teams tied for the competition lead with two wins from three matches, while Toowoomba are still looking to get off the mark.

“There’s been a few upsets and really tight games so that’s a good thing for the competition,” Lenarduzzi said.