Katrina Fanning Shield Round 13 Preview

Specsavers Katrina Fanning Shield action is back this weekend, with the Goulburn City Bulldogs v Queanbeyan Blues match headlining the round. 

Tuggeranong Bushrangers v Yass Magpies, 12pm Saturday 31 July at Greenway Oval

The Tuggeranong Bushrangers will be out for revenge when they host the Yass Magpies on Saturday. 

The two sides met back in round ten, with the Bushrangers pushing Yass all the way. The Magpies lead 16-0 in the first half, and were ahead 22-6 before Tuggeranong scored two straight tries to make it 22-16. They fought hard for the last few minutes, but the defence of Yass proved too strong. 

Tuggeranong five-eighth Ahlivia Ingram will play her third game of the season this weekend, having spent the earlier half of the year with the Glebe Dirty Reds in the  Harvey Norman Women's Premiership competition. She brings experience to the side in the halves and has been creating many attacking opportunities. 

The Yass Magpies currently sit equal first on the ladder and will need to win this game for a chance to finish the round on top. 

The Magpies last played back in round ten, so have had a couple of weeks off to refresh and recharge ahead of the final five rounds. 

They still have the best defence is the competition, so will look to put some pressure on the Bushrangers and shut down their attack. 

Both sides boast very strong forward packs, with the likes of Nirvana Ngan-Woo, Amelia Kiriui and Grace Guthrie for Tuggeranong up against Emily Banks, Samara Afele and Jessica Howard from Yass. Both packs have the ability to generate plenty of momentum up the middle, so defence will be key for both sides.

Harden Worhawks v Boomanulla Raiders, 11:45am Saturday 31 July at McLean Oval

The Harden Worhawks take on the Boomanulla Raiders on Saturday with both sides desperate to get a win. 

It's been a tough season for both teams so far, but they continue to compete and play hard each week. 

Harden's only win came against Boomanulla back in round four, so they will be looking to recreate that performance again on Saturday. 

The Worhakws are coming off a heavy loss against the Queanbeyan Blues, so the week off would have been a great chance to put that behind them and focus on this week's clash. 

Boomanulla are still after that first win of the season, and will want to put in a great performance against Harden. 

The Raiders have a number of tough players who will be fired up and ready to create some opportunities against the Worhawks. 

Goulburn City Bulldogs v Queanbeyan Blues, 11am Sunday 1 August at Workers Arena

A battle between first and third will take place at Goulburn on Sunday, with the Bulldogs up against the Queanbeyan Blues. 

The two sides met back in round three, in what was a thrilling game. The scores were locked at 10-10 with just two minutes to go before Goulburn fullback Blackwell ran the length of the field to score the winning try under the posts. 

Both sides have found plenty of momentum during the last few weeks, with the two teams gunning for their fifth win in a row this weekend. 

Goulburn have the best attack in the competition, with 328 points across ten games but Queanbeyan are not far behind with the second best record. 

The Blues team has been very consistent across their opening eight games, with their spine (fullback, five-eighth, halfback and hooker) only differing twice in eight games. This give the side much consistency and ability to focus on building particular areas and game plans. 

Similarly, Goulburn's spine have also been very consistent, with Krystal Blackwell, Lauren Kelly and Maddie Dodson having played every game so far in key positions. 

The top points and try scorers leaderboards could also change in this match. Goulburn halfback Lauren Kelly is the top point scorer with 84 points but Blues hooker Payge-Louise Condon trails her by only eight points. 

Blues back Klaudia Osztrenkovics sits first on the top try-scorers list with 13 tries, one ahead of Bulldogs fullback Krystal Blackwell. 

A Blues win could see Queanbeyan, Yass and Goulburn all finish the round on 18 points.