Season Preview 2023: Tuggeranong Bushrangers

Tuggeranong Bushrangers star forward Darby Medlyn described their 2022 first-round exit as a "disappointing ending," as the Bushies ramp things right up in hopes of another top-four finish.

The Bushies cemented themselves as one of the most consistent teams in the competition, led by their strong forward pack and coach Jason Kelly.

Their Katrina Fanning Shield and League Tag sides had challenging seasons in 2022 as they both look confident towards overall improvement in the coming season.

Medlyn touched on the current roster heading into round one this weekend and building into the 18-round season.

"It's a similar side as last year. We've had a few additions, a few change of personnel. We've got two new halves in which have been really good," Medlyn said.

"We had a pretty solidly year last year. [So] plenty to build off."

The Katrina Fanning Shield team had a fifth-placed finish in last year's competition as Australian PM's and Indigenous Allstars representative Ahlivia Ingram spoke with media last week.

"We've had a lot of our original players come back which has been amazing," Ingram said.

"Our key improvements will be us (Bushrangers) coming back, having fun with the game and getting back to our roots. We went away from that a bit and lost the heart.

"So coming back together this year will just really bring it back," Ingram added.

League Tag representative Olivia Davison commented on the toughness of the Bushies' preseason and their will to improve in 2023.

"Yeah [our preseason] has been pretty tough actually, probably one of the toughest preseasons I've ever had. But it's got us well prepared for the season," Davison said.

"We're looking pretty sharp actually. We've got quite a few new players, so we're looking a lot stronger."

The Tuggeranong Bushrangers are hosting Queanbeyan Blues at Greenway Oval for round one of the Canberra Raiders Cup.