What a great sensation and thrill it is to feel the excitement that has been generated leading up to our game versus the Sheffield Sharks at the Brighton Centre tonight.

The marketing team have been working full time and they tell me ticket sales are excellent and to expect a huge crowd for this massive fixture.

The Sharks and their coach Chris Finch boast one of the most successful organisations in Britain and again are off to a flying start. They are unbeaten in all competitions to date so it is a tall task for our boys but one which I feel we need at this point.

We have recovered well in league play and bounced back with two pretty decent wins. Our late start, due to a number of unforeseen circumstances, put us back a little bit but I think we have made up some ground in last 10-12 days. Our fitness levels were in an atrocious state at the start of our campaign but now are respectable due to our extra work we have put in. Also, our addition of new boy Albert White has really given us a very talented team from top to bottom. Our guys now need to realise just how good they are and can be this season. A small psychological hurdle we must jump but one I know we can clear with ease.

This weekend also poses a test against my old team, the London Towers, who are really struggling at the moment having been trounced in back to back games in Europe and also slipping up twice domestically. I was in London on Thursday to do a little spying and know we also have a chance to win away from home. They will be smarting a little bit and do not have another weekend game like we do but I hope we can muster up the energy and resolve to go in there and battle them. The time is right for our new look and somewhat young team to be tested and this weekend figures to be a measuring stick of where we stack up this early in this season.

This team talent wise will match up with anyone around the country.

Now it is up to us, the coaches and the players, to figure out how will we separate ourselves from the pack. We need to out work our opponents on a daily basis. We need to stick together on and off the court. We need to keep team spirit up and continue to improve on it. We need to continue to figure out roles within our team and then do them to the best of our abilities within the team framework. If we do these things we can be proud of our accomplishments. We intend to do that.

Get out and catch the Bears in action. and there is no better time than tonight at the Brighton Centre. The place will be buzzing, we want you to be a part of it!

GO BEARS, Nick