The Direct Connect Dewar Shield Match of the Round promises to be a cracker, as top of the table Melbourne Uni host Melbourne Unicorns, yet to register a win but having come so close in a one-point loss and a draw thus far.

Melbourne Uni will call upon Wallaby Dom Shipperley, a late withdrawal last week, for his Dewar Shield debut alongside Jonah Placid and Sam Jeffries, while Telusa Veainu will front up for the Unicorns.

Unicorns Head Coach Anare Koliavu is “expecting a tough encounter from a new team we don’t know much about. There is a reason they are currently the top of the Dewar Shield ladder but we can hopefully change that this weekend.

“Our focus is always to improve on areas we identify that need work, and more importantly the belief the boys have in the team, and themselves; it’s about finding your form early in the competition and then improving every week.”

“The Unicorns game is a massive game for the Club as it will be our first home game for the year, and we are coming into it undefeated after three rounds,” Melbourne Uni Head Coach Jason Jones said. “Last year they smacked our bum when we played them for 70 minutes with only fourteen men; that loss really hurt, and then they snuck over us in the other game to take away our finals chances. They play a very set pieced based game and have some speed out wide, so it should be a great game to watch.

“This week we have focused on our set piece and restarts, and being more consistent over the 80 minutes. It’s great for the Club that this week we have three Rebels playing; Jonah’s contribution last week was absolute class, and I am sure with Sammy and Dom joining us that we will continue to improve on last week’s performance.”

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Source: Rebels Media Unit

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