SWFL 2023: New league rivalry for region as Magpies lock swim with Sharks for first time

Although his side has recorded two impressive victories over reigning premiers Augusta-Margaret River and Eaton, Busselton coach Daniel Delaney remains restless. There was no sitting on a banana lounge by the pool over Easter for the Magpies boss — instead he was thinking intently ahead of his side’s inaugural southern derby against the Dunsborough Sharks on Sunday at Sir Stewart Bovell Park. “Like I say to anyone after watching them (Dunsborough) — if any team goes down there and takes it lightly, they are going to get beaten,” Delaney said. “And I think this goes through all of the competition this year. “We will not be complacent and will have a big week on the track in order to have ourselves ready. Honestly, for us it is not just about this game. We have got five big games in a row and it starts on Sunday.” Selection yet again will prove challenging for all Busselton coaches, with no player in any senior team guaranteed a game each week. “When you have got the numbers at training, you can implement certain things which cannot be done when you don’t have enough,” Delaney said. “Everyone is buying in to what we have put in place right through the footy club. And as a coach, this is very pleasing for sure.” Sharks coach Daniel Wiseman has remained positive with his players, whose inaugural league clash resulted in a 100-point defeat against Donnybrook. “With the first game, we always were going to keep it positive,” Wiseman said. “I have dissected the game a fair bit — and aside from the first quarter and the last 20 minutes, we pretty much matched it with them on the scoreboard for a solid 45-50 minutes.” Wiseman, who works in Busselton, believes this rivalry is another positive step for the growth of football in the region. “Football is getting really strong throughout the Busselton, Dunsborough and Margaret River regions,” he said. “At our club, we have 29 junior teams.”