LIVESTREAM SUNBOWL AUSTRALIA: Bayside Ravens vs Brisbane Rhinos, December 11th, 9:30 am CET, (5:30 pm local time, 3:30 am ET)
After a hard-fought season in Australia, the Gridiron Queensland Sunbowl is finally here.
The defending champion Bayside Ravens look to extend their dominance with three straight championships. Across the field, the all too familiar Brisbane Rhinos look to avenge their 2019 Sunbowl loss and claim the title this season.
The Bayside Ravens handled the Rhinos in the regular season defeating them 42-19 in the regular season. Expect Brisbane to play better in this rematch as they had some key players injured in their November 27th matchup.
Brisbane took care of business last week in the semi-finals defeating the MB Raptors & SC Spartans 31-18. Coach Samuel Harkness hopes to get another strong defensive performance out of his team today. Fans can expect safeties Tyson Snagg and Chiam James (formerly with the Rostock Griffins of Germany) to match up well with the Ravens high flying passing game. At the line of scrimmage, Xavier Savelino’s play is crucial as he’ll aim to get some pressure on the Ravens quarterback.
On offense, Brisbane will rely on athlete Jarrod Toshack. despite playing receiver all season Toshack filled in at quarterback last week and was able to lead them to a win from behind center. However, if Mitchell Bradford is healthy expect him to be the Rhinos signal-caller today. Despite injuries and being the underdog, coach Harkness and his team are eager to get their shot at the title.
“We are extremely well prepared in what we expect to see from them. For us, even though we are considered the “underdog” we aren’t satisfied with just making it there we are here to win and have put ourselves with the players we have in the best position we can to do so.”
For the Ravens, a win today would extend their championship run to three consecutive seasons. Bayside has been unbeatable of late, extending a winning streak to 26 games. Their last loss came back in week three of 2019. Leading the Ravens from under center is future ELF Istanbul Rams quarterback Jared Stegman. Stegman aims to win another title in his home country before resuming his international career in the European League of Football. Expect the former German Football League and X-League (Japan) passer to target receiver Warwick “Bones” Russell and veteran running back Chris Farrarcane. Stegman on what it will take to pull off the three-peat:
“We know they have something to prove so coming out of the gate ready is vital. We just need to play Ravens football and not lose sight of the goal which is just to win one more game.”
Defensively, Bayside features proven veterans at all three levels. In the secondary, Kris Clark and Ben Stokes are one of Queensland’s better safety duos. Tackling machine Peter Breuer patrols the middle of the defense from the linebacker position, while Jason Leeon gives the Ravens a force at the line of scrimmage.
This is the matchup Queensland football fans have been waiting for all season. The talented Brisbane Rhinos look to pull off the upset and shock Australia’s football community. Meanwhile, on the other side, the Ravens aim to cement their legacy with a historic three consecutive SunBowl championships.
