GSFL 2024: Lions coach Darrell Panizza moves on fast as blockbuster preliminary final clash with Bulls looms

Royals coach Darrell Panizza said his side will not dwell on their tough loss against Albany last weekend as they look to bounce back in their blockbuster preliminary final clash with Mt Barker on Saturday. The Lions missed out on the direct path to the Great Southern Football League grand final after losing to the Sharks by 16 points in a wet and wild qualifying final last week. Facing off against the Bulls who charged into the preliminary final with a comprehensive 40-point win over Railways in the elimination final, Panizza said his side must move on quickly and focus on this week’s game. “It’s no good dwelling on the past,” Panizza “You’ve got to learn from the past so going forward, we’ve just got to make sure that we don’t have a fade out. “We got to make sure that we’re up and about. . . everybody’s still very vibrant, very happy at the end of the day.” Despite saying his side boasted “the best backline in the league,” Panizza said in order to limit the influence of the Bulls’ ominous three-pronged forward line of Ashley Wallam, Zach Jackson and Sam Lehmann, his midfield must apply pressure up the field. “Our backline is the best backline in the competition,” he said “We’ve got to put pressure on the ball-carriers so that they don’t get that perfect kick away. “We’ll be going about our business like we have all year again. If we’re not good enough, that’s the end. “We’ve got every bit of ability and we’ll be going out there to win, and we’ll be going out to play our style of footy.” The Lions will be without man mountain Brock Higgins who suffered a hamstring injury in the first quarter against the Sharks last weekend. Chandler Askevold-McDonald, Daniel Archbold-Mortensen, Jaiden Alison, Jack Carlson and Ryan Kinnear are all in the mix to be Higgins’ replacement. Tagger Jordan Hulm has done superb jobs nullifying Bulls clearance machine Daniel Patching throughout the season, and will likely be tasked with another run-with role. The preliminary final will start at 2.30pm at Retravision Stadium with the winner advancing to the grand final against the Sharks.