Rockbank v Woodend/Hesket
at Ian Cowie Reserve
Last week
Rockbank – The Rams are flying high after a remarkable 86 point win over Broadford. The teamclicked into overdrive with a dynamic four quarter performance. After a steady first term where they led by eight points, the Rams kicked away with 16 of the last 20 goals of the game to record a famous victory. Rams coach Leigh Sporle stepped up with five brilliant goals. He was well supported by Jamie Zerafa and Jake Armistead with four goals each while Chris Jones and Steve Hanning won plenty of the ball. There was a lot to like about the Rams and there will be more to come on the back of their maiden win of the season.
Woodend/Hesket – Ruckman Justin Rodda stepped up on his 30th birthday with a great performance for the Hawks in their 62 point loss to Wallan at home. The Hawks trailed by 28 points at quarter time and the lead continued to grow as the Pies ran themselves into some very good form on a muddy Gilbert Gordon Oval deck. Luke Macklin and Ethan Gove were the usual stars to step up while Tim Jones played a good game in and under the packs.
THE GAME
Prior to Rockbank's big win over Broadford, the Hawks would have given themselves every chance to register the four points in this game. The massive win to Rockbank and big loss for the Hawks last weekend have changed the dynamics of this game very quickly. The Rams will hope to welcome back some star power in the form of Damien Niki and Mitch Stratton to bolster their forward line. The Hawks need to focus on getting some consistency on the training track and getting behind each other on match day. It has appeared at times that so much has been left to so few in many of the Hawks' games this year. The upside to last week's loss to the Pies was the efforts of Martin and Jones. They need more like-minded players to step up. The Rams will have all the answers in this big clash, but the Hawks will hope to keep up with them for most of the game.
Kilmore v Diggers Rest
at JJ Clancy Reserve
Last week
Kilmore – The Blues showcased their best performance of the season with a gutsy 34 point loss to Riddell at home last weekend. They chased hard, applied great pressure and were relentless in their ability to win the hard ball. Luke Chapman stepped up in the forward line to kick two goals and win lots of the football. Ben Dawson played one of the blocks in his best effort on a football field in the last few years. The team need more efforts from him and those who have had quiet starts to the year. Coach Chris Nolan will look at the tale of the tape and take many positives away, especially their effort after quarter time where they kept up with the all conquering Bombers.
Diggers Rest – It was flawless, skilful, mind blowing, all class. Throw in any positive cliché that you like about the Burras who stormed home to a massive 104 point win over Melton Centrals on the weekend. The Burras saved their best performance of the year to last week against quality opposition, previous 2013 leaders, the Centrals. Brent Tuckey stepped up with 10 goals to go with his haul of five goals against Macedon in his last hit-out while Craig Harvey was again sensational with great back-to-back performances.
THE GAME
Kilmore was brave last week but Diggers Rest will have all the answers in this clash. The Burras soared to extraordinary heights with shear physical dominance against the strong Melton Centrals outfit. Col Laurie looks to have settled in beautifully across half-back and continues to counter many opposition forward thrusts. Kilmore will need to take lots of risk to mount a challenge against the reigning preliminary finalists. The Burras' form last week was simply flawless with Brent Tuckey kicking 10 goals and Craig Harvey in remarkable form. Expect their attack to be switched on for this big game.
Tune in to 98.3 OKR FM or on 88.1FM at the ground.
Riddell v Rupertswood
at Riddells Creek Reserve
Last week
Riddell – The Bombers did what they had to do in order to register the four points against the Blues and they feature a quality running midfield that is good as any other in the competition. Stars such as Foreman and Ross came into their element against Kilmore who applied great pressure. They had some strong competition in difficult conditions and did well to register a 34 point win. Jordie Taylor was in fine form while Mick Allen managed to jag two goals in a good performance.
Rupertswood – The stars from Rupo put together their most admirable performance of the season against the Redbacks. They fell short by just seven points with the winners getting ahead in the final few minutes in a game that had many lead changes and small margins. Nash Egan was arguably the most impressive player on the ground. His ability to restrict Romsey gun forward Matt Davidson was simply remarkable. Davidson kicked two goals on Egan in the first three and a bit quarters, one from a free-kick and another with a ball that fell over the back of the pack. He is a great emerging backman and should be taken seriously. Mitch Wilson was very gutsy with some promising runs from half back and Leigh Brennan was at his best in the forward line with five goals.
THE GAME
This would be considered match of the round in most cases if not for the 2012 grand final replay. This has all the makings of an instant classic, almost as good as what was served up at Rupertswood last week. Both teams match up beautifully with aggressive and hard-running midfielders, quality backmen and dangerous forwards. A fit Rupertswood might just have the edge over the dangerous Riddell line-up. Expect the Bombers to throw everything at their opposition early and keep up a high level of intensity from the opening bounce. This could be just as close as the five-point margin that Riddell defeated Diggers Rest by in the opening round. A flip of the coin will determine the result of this one.
Romsey v Sunbury Kangaroos
at Romsey Park from 2.15pm
Last week
Romsey – The Redbacks put on an all star performance to edge out Rupertswood by seven points last week in one of the great matches of the season. They suffered injuries to key personnel Brad Mitchell and Mitch Brewer before half time but their courage and endeavour got them over the line. Cam Dawson was on fire at half forward with five goals while Davidson was held to four goals in a gruelling contest. Tessari and Petroro sparked to life in the second half to inject quality speed into the game that swayed the contest in Romsey’s favour with the latter kicking the sealer with moments to go.
Sunbury Kangaroos – The Roos didn’t have it all their own way in the big clash with Lancefield. They trailed at half time by 22 points but a stunning second half led by Kane Murphy and Ti Cuffe in the midfield swung the game in the Roos favour. Darragh McGovern was a big influence around packs and Ryan Hatty showed great flash and flare at half forward to kick three brilliant goals at the ground where he and his team mates won a premiership in their last appearance at that venue.
THE GAME
The 2012 grand final replay has all the ingredients of being better than last year's grand final. Both teams have plenty of run and have injected quality young players into the team to combine with quality experience. Romsey's Blake Henderson performed well last week to take the honours over Slater from Rupertswood and Gillian was a great a great back-up. They will need to be at their best when they take on the twin towers of Fishendon and Jamie Cuffe. Romsey's growing injury list is a great concern with Brad Mitchell out for the rest of the home and away season to add to the list. Despite that, the Redbacks have been able to win games and win them well. The Roos have the most experience on paper out of the two teams. Will that be enough to get them over the line in a titanic battle? The Redbacks are the come-back kings and can never be ruled out of any contest. This will be an epic clash.
Tune in from 1.30pm on 100.7 Highlands FM or on 88.1FM at the ground
Macedon v Broadford
at Tony Clarke Reserve
Last week
Macedon – The Cats have had the luxury of having the last two weeks to re-access their season and get back on track as a premiership contender. They had one bad quarter against Diggers Rest in their last hit-out that essentially cost them the match in a seven goal loss. Josh Clough, Jack Kernan and Nick Arnold were major contributors on the day and they gathered enough of the ball to prevent the Differs Rest dominance from growing. Ash Fleming and Al Meldrum were strong up forward but there was so much left to so few.
Broadford – The Roos, like many other clubs, have suffered injuries and lacked confidence due to poor form. After a competitive first half against the Rams, they slipped away to trail by 46 points at half time and weren’t able to recover. Nathan Simpson was one of few stand-outs on the day in a trying match for the Roos that slipped to 10th on the ladder and a win and percentage outside of the top six.
THE GAME
This is a crucial game for both sides. Broadford needs the win to keep its season alive. The Cats need a win here by a significant margin to climb back into the premiership race and be a serious contender. They had all the hopes on their shoulders at the start of the year and have struggled to deliver. They have the star personnel but just haven't been able to execute it to the best of their ability. Broadford started the season full of high hopes and promise and its time to start to deliver. This is one of the most important games of the round to see where these two teams are placed this year and whether they can challenge for the premiership. The Cats should take the honours.
Last Modified on 07/06/2013 15:48