Bulls start to gel as focus turns to second win

Harvey Bulls coach Alan Douglas believes the Bulls are starting to gel and unite as a team following two promising performances against stiff competition. The Harvey Bulls will hit the road for a game this Sunday against Donnybrook at VC Mitchell Park, where they will be hoping to score their second win of the season. The Bulls have their two-year drought breaker over Carey Park as their sole win, as well as an extra two points after drawing level with South Bunbury at Hands Oval in round four. Douglas said the Bulls would be working on applying more pressure after encouraging performances in rounds four and five. “The last two games have been fantastic games of football,” he said. “One we came a draw and the other we lost to what I class as the best side in the competition at the moment. “Our attacking pressure and our defensive efforts, we are doing really well and I’m asking to put it up 5 per cent.” Converting to major scores will also be a focus for the Bulls this weekend after kicking 13 behinds last weekend. “It’s true that the scoring puts the pressure on and if you combine kicking more goals with tackling pressure, the other team will feel that pressure and hopefully make more mistakes,” Douglas said. “Goal kicking is paramount.” Douglas said he was taking a cautious approach with rising star Kane Johnston after he suffered a heavy knock to the knee during last weekend’s match. “I’m assessing him everyday and he’s been to the physio and we’ve been told he’s got severe bruising to his kneecap and fibia so no major tendon or ligament damage,” he said. “He’s young so we’ve just got to be careful and I’d rather put him on the sidelines for a week than just say we need him for the four points. “His attributes for the season are far more important than one game.” Meanwhile, the Dons will be looking to redeem themselves and claim their third win of the season after a less-than-ideal performance against Augusta-Margaret River where they fell 13.5 (83) to 5.4 (34). Despite managing close victories over Bunbury and South Bunbury in the first two rounds of the season, the Dons have hit a wall after two consecutive losses to Busselton and the Hawks since round three was postponed. The match-up also marks the annual Hickman Family Cup fixture for the Dons and Bulls although this year’s contest will mark the first time the “Hickman Old Guard” would not be present at the game following the passing of John Hickman earlier this year. Douglas said the Bulls were proud to be part of the match-up and hoped to bring the cup to Harvey. Last time they met, Donnybrook managed to hold off the Bulls in a nail-biter at VC Mitchell Park during round two of the 2020 season. Although the Bulls managed to build the early lead, the Dons fought back during the second quarter and a tug-of-war match saw the Dons prevail 8.11 (59) to 8.9 (57).