Sydney South West Round 3 Preview – Cronulla Sharks to make their move

The racing is coming thick and fast now in the South West Interclub Series. Just 13 days after the Nepean Triathlon, which saw Panthers victorious, the clubs are at it once again, this time at the iconic Kurnell Triathlon.

Although it is the Hills Red Army who have set the early season pace, all eyes will be on the Cronulla Sharks this weekend.

Strong Cronulla performances are synonymous with the Kurnell Triathlon and there are no indications that this will change anytime soon. They enter the weekend in 7^th place overall, but don’t be surprised if they force their way into the top 3 by the time Saturday is over.

Another team who traditionally perform well at Kurnell is Balance Bolt. Currently sitting in 4^th place, they will also hope to use Kurnell as a springboard to draw them into title contention.

The Red Army’s closest rivals at the moment are Panthers in 2^nd and Team Mac Tri in 3^rd. Both have had fine starts to the season but will need this to continue at Kurnell if they are to make inroads into the Red Amy’s lead and to hold off a chasing pack of six clubs.

A real success story to date in the Sydney South West Interclub are the Hawkesbury Hawks. The smallest team in the competition have performed sublimely and although they currently sit in 9^th, they are just 2.5 points off 4^th. They will be hoping for more of the same at Kurnell, so they can stay in the mix for a top 5 finish come the end of the season which would be an outstanding achievement for a club the size of the Hawks.

The LAPD Lightning and Western Sydney FilOz Eagles are also performing excellently and are currently in a three-way tie for 4^th with Balance Bolt. In such a competitive region, both clubs will be thrilled if they find themselves towards the top half of the leaderboard post Kurnell.

Concord currently find themselves in 8^th place in the Sydney South West Interclub but again, with the leaderboard so compact, a good performance at Kurnell could propel them into the top 5. All signs point to Concord being competitive all-season long.

Pulse and the Engadine Dingoes are slightly adrift towards the bottom of the table. However, both clubs are more than capable of strong showings this weekend which could result in them joining the group of clubs placed between 4^th and 9^th on the ladder that are separated by just 2.5 points.

As each round comes and goes, the South West Interclub picture will become clearer. For now, it appears that Hills are the club to catch and the battle to finish in top 5 will rage on all season long.

Top 3 questions leading into the Kurnell triathlon?

1. Surely the Hills Red Army can’t max out again, can they?
2. Will the Cronulla Sharks be the team to put pressure on Hills?
3. Will the leaderboard start to stretch out or will 4th down to 9th remain covered by just a few points?

Race for the Sydney South West MVP

It is a Hills athlete dominated MVP race so far with David McEwan on top for now with two wins out of two.

Rachel Eagles is the lone non Hills athlete for now who has a great start to the season for Team Mac Tri.

For more information regarding the Kunrell Triathlon or to enter, click here