O’Brien says unbeaten Cats a long way off best
QAFL ladder leader Broadbeach has enjoyed an unblemished start to the season but coach Craig O’Brien has warned the Cats might not hit their peak until mid-season.
The Cats have fought off Labrador and cruised past Morningside and Sherwood in the opening three rounds but expect to face a stern test against 2019 premier Surfers Paradise when the two meet at Subaru Oval on Sunday.
“Surfers are a well-drilled unit and have good depth. It’s always been that way,” O’Brien said.
“Even when they aren’t going that well it is always tough to beat them.”
Broadbeach welcomes back Brandon Chadwick from a hamstring injury for the Round 5 game but still awaits the return of star recruit, former St Mary’s Geelong Football League captain and highly touted inside midfielder Jacob Welsh.
The Cats are also waiting for the return of Matt Little from an achilles injury sustained in the first quarter of Round 1.
“We have been averaging four or five changes each week so far,” O’Brien said.
“The Southport players are holding their spots which shows we are doing the right things in terms of getting them playing good footy.
“We are going OK. We are not running on eight cylinders yet and still have some players to come back.
“We have three more games before the bye and after that I think we will be nearly at full strength.”
In other games the Labrador Tigers will travel to the Sunshine Coast to play Maroochydore on Saturday while the Palm Beach Currumbin Lions will play Wilston Grange on Saturday at Salk Oval.
The Tigers are coming off two wins while the Lions have one victory to their name and will be looking to respond after being beaten by Redland-Victoria Point by 60 points last week.