Bulls match Strikers' force

Andrew Piva
Monday, June 21, 2010

© The Cairns Post


THE FNQ Bulls exorcised a few troubling demons on their way to a 4-4 draw with Queensland State League nemesis the Brisbane Strikers at Mareeba on Saturday night.

The Bulls were thoroughly outclassed in their two previous meetings with the Strikers this year – a 4-0 loss in Round 6 and an 8-0 thrashing during the
pre-season.

Another rout looked likely when the Strikers scored through Michael Angus after six minutes but a pleasingly aggressive Bulls attacked their way into the contest.

The home side levelled through Joe Rusch in the 22nd minute before a first-half double to teammate David Ruiz had the Bulls on course to hand out their own thrashing.

But the Strikers are not a team that capitulates easily and the visitors cut the Bulls’ lead to one when Sadler scored in the final minute before halftime.

If the Bulls felt flat heading into the sheds after conceding the late goal they had rediscovered their vigour in time for the restart.

Ruiz completed his hat-trick in the 59th minute and appeared to have sealed one of the Bulls’ best victories in the club’s two-year history.

But the Strikers showed why they are considered one of the league’s benchmarks when Sean Burke scored twice in the final half hour to draw scores level before fulltime.

While he would have preferred the win, Bulls coach Peter Tokesi said the result proved to his players they could compete with the Strikers.

"We’ve got to use this as a springboard. There are not many times in your life where you’ll score four goals and get a draw or a loss," he said.

"I thought we battled quite well.

"The only thing that worries me is the ease at how we let goals get scored against us.

"Probably we still struggle to defend in the middle of the park and that tends to put pressure on our backline.

"But I can’t be too disappointed with the result."

The Bulls’ biggest injury worry out of the match was midfielder Bronson Koppen, who was stretchered off with an ankle injury early in the second half.

http://www.cairns.com.au/article/2010/06/21/114615_local-sport-news.html