SWFL 2023: Carey Park look to back up round one efforts with consistency in Brunswick

After pulling off a huge upset in defeating Bunbury by just three points last weekend, Carey Park will be looking to match their efforts on the road.

The Panthers will be going up against Harvey-Brunswick-Leschenault at Brunswick Oval on Saturday during the second round of the 2023 South West Football League season.

It comes off the back of Carey Park’s huge win over Bunbury at Kelly Park, which saw the Panthers edge out the Bulldogs 11.6 (72) to 10.9 (69).

Panthers coach Frank Italiano said last week was a “great win” for the young playing group.

“We have not beaten Bunbury in our first round clashes since 2015 so it was a goal we set early in the preseason to try and change that,” he said.

“The real pleasing part of the game was that when we fell 11 points behind in the last quarter, we followed the team rules and structures and got the win.

“It’s a great result for the team, they have had a really solid preseason and deserved the win.”

While Italiano admits the squad is a long way off from where they ultimately want to be, he said the team is learning to execute a new game plan with a lot of new personnel and he is happy with the progress so far.

Ahead of this weekend’s clash, Italiano said the focus was to match the output and efforts put into last week.

“In years gone by we have had a good week and then not been able to back it up the next week, so that is now our challenge,” he said.

“Consistency is a key focus for us this year.”

Meanwhile, the Lions will be looking to bounce back from last week’s 8.10 (58) to 5.9 (39) loss to the Harvey Bulls at Harvey.

With a few new faces within the team, the Lions will need to continue finding connections between teammates and find what will be a winning combination.

The last time the Lions and Panthers met was in round 19 of the 2022 season, where Carey Park managed to edge out HBL by just five points in a thrilling match in wet conditions.