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Season Preview 2025: Belconnen United Sharks
After consecutive semi-final appearances, the Belconnen United Sharks are determined to take the next step in the Blumers Lawyers Canberra Raiders Cup.
In the Katrina Fanning Shield, they aim to build on their inaugural season, while their League Tag squad focuses on developing emerging talent.
In 2023, Belconnen United reached the preliminary final, and last year, they pushed the Woden Valley Rams to the limit in a two-point semi-final loss. Now, the Sharks are determined to reach the grand final.
“We want to go a few better this year and make it to the big dance,” new recruit Dean Wilson said.
“Training’s been pretty gruelling - we’ve gone to some dark places.”
Wilson, fresh off a Group 16 premiership with the Snowy River Bears, praised captain-coach Zac Patch’s leadership since arriving at the club.
“Patchy’s [Zac Patch] been unreal for me. I’ve played rugby [union] for the last six years, so I’m still learning the game again in league,” he said.
“The club’s welcomed us with open arms, and you can see how much time and effort Piercy [Darren Piercy, president] and Patchy put in.”
After a solid debut in the Blumers Lawyers Katrina Fanning Shield, finishing seventh but proving to be tough opponents, Montana Maher is excited about the young talent coming through.
“We’ve got a bunch of new girls coming up from juniors, which is exciting. We’ve had a good preseason, and everyone seems keen,” Maher said.
“We’ve got a lot of quick girls coming up from juniors and a lot of rep players so they can bring in what they’ve learnt from rep.”
In League Tag, the Sharks are focused on nurturing their young talent and maintaining a positive mindset.
“We have a lot of junior girls coming up so they’re getting used to being in a women’s comp now, so we’ve been focused on getting the ball around them and getting them used to our players,” Sharks League Tagger Sophie O'Meara said.
“Our goals are to stay positive on the field, make sure we’re supporting each other, putting 100% into each game, and not getting down on ourselves, otherwise we’ll just fall apart.”
Belconnen struggled in Reserve Grade last season, finishing second-last, but with improved depth over the past few years, they should be stronger in 2025.
In the Under 19s, the Sharks will be bolstered by a promising crop of juniors transitioning into senior footy.
