Diggers Rest v Romsey
at Diggers Rest Reserve
Last week
Diggers Rest - The Burras were in the best form that they've been all year in theri convincing 91 point win over Rupertswood at home. They ran hard, stuck to their game plan and played strong attacking football that gave the visitors little chance of keeping in the game. Brent Tuckey kicked a remarkable haul of 15.1, ironically the margin at the end of the match. The Burras were accurate in front of the big sticks with an accuracy of a fraction under 80 percent which is as good as any effort from a team this year. Brad Sluggett and Col Laurie were in fine touch.
Romsey - The Redbacks pulled off one of the great wins of season 2013 last week under lights at home. The Redbacks missed four of their leading onballers come half time and trailed by 24 points. The great spirit and determination from the Redbacks got them over the line in one of the great matches this year. Cam Dawson stepped up with crucial marks and goals at important stages of the game while Jack Millls was a livewire at half forward. The match was sealed at the 22 minute with a great Matt Davidson snap around the body.
THE GAME
Diggers Rest will head into this clash as red-hot favourite. Romsey's injury list continues to be one of the major talking points in the competition with Farmer, Brewer, Streeter, Mitchell, Austin and Burlak just a fraction of absentees that make up the core of the senior team. Brent Tuckey has been on fire for Diggers Rest and teenager Angus Storey will be a big candidate to get the job on him; coach Mark Pederson will likely hand him the role of shutting down two former AFL stars in as many weeks after playing on Barry Hall last week. Diggers Rest has a nine-game winning streak, topped only by Riddell with 10 wins. The Burras will hit the ground running at home and while Romsey has lost just one game this season, to the Sunbury Kangaroos. It will be a tough ask for the Redbacks to come away with the four points in this important clash considering their injury concerns.
Broadford v Melton Centrals
at Harley Hammond Reserve
Last week
Broadford - The Roos gave it their all on the big stage under lights at Romsey Park last Friday night. They dominated the first half with plenty of numbers behind the ball and plenty of run generated from the backline as they pushed forward. It was exciting football to watch and that gave Barry Hall plenty of chances to mark and goal. He kicked eight straight and hand a hand in several others as they went down by 10 points. Some undiscipline acts of play cost them dearly in the second half and ultimately led to their 10 point loss.
Melton Centrals - The Centrals are riding high after two big wins over teams challenging for a spot in the finals, Rupertswood and Macedon. They led at every change last week and held the Cats to just one behind as they kicked away to a five goal win in one of the most pleasing performances from them all year. Adam Fenton was a brilliant target up forward with six goals while Paul McNamara was sharp across hafl ack and Nathan Richardson was a star in the midfield. These wins have been crucial to their growth as a team after a mid-season slump and will set to prove that they will be a deserving contender in the finals at the business end of the season.
THE GAME
The Roos showed enough poise and confidence last week to prove that without the suspended Barry Hall, they can still mount good pressure in the forward line and have a strong midfield to challenge some of the best. They were on top in the midfield in the first half against the Redbacks before their star midfielders went down to injury. The Centrals have been in awesome form of late and have proved to the competition that they mean business. They would be hoping to register win number seven for the season before their bye next week. This is 'make or break' for them with Rupertswood, Macedon and Lancefield hot on their hammer to secure a spot in the top six.
Tune in to 88.1FM at the ground or 98.3 OKR FM for full coverage of the game.
Rockbank v Macedon
at Ian Cowie Reserve
Last week
Rockbank - The Rams were full of fire in their big 41 point win over Kilmore last week. The win gives Rockbank their third win from four games and have them pegged down as one of the form teams in the competition. Their win over Kilmore was set up in the third term where they rammed home 11 goals to three in an entertaining term, to lead by 50 points at three quarter time. Jamie Zerafa was outstanding with five goals while Matt Krul and Anthony Long were in sublime touch with four goals each. They trio shared 13 of 17 goals in a great performance.
Macedon - The Cats continue to frustrate fans in the competition. They have unlimited potential and could not keep up the confidence gained from their 10 goal win over Lancefield. They were held to just one behind in the final term in the loss to the Melton Centrals. Jack Kernan was a rock across half back while Chad Walker and Matt Goodwin showed plenty of promise in the midfield. Playing coach Al Meldrum did his best for the team with five goals to give him 11 from the last two games.
THE GAME
The Rams will give themselves every possible chance to take the four points in this clash and keep their finals hopes alive, at the expense of the Cats. They do have a few key injuries but that won't stop their run and carry all over the ground, which has been a key feature to their game in the last month of competition. Macedon needs to win this game to have any chance at making the finals. The Cats face just one team inside the top six in the remaining six matches and this is the one they need to win against a team challenging for their spot from outside the top six. Rockbank won't shy away from a possible win here, especially on home soil, and expect Leigh Sporle to lead from the front in the goal mouth.
Tune in to 88.1FM at the ground or 100.7 Highlands FM around the Macedon Ranges.
Lancefield v Wallan
at Lancefield Reserve
Last week
Lancefield - The Tigers were on song in their win over Woodend/Hesket last week. The win gave them the perfect return to form after losing to Macedon by 10 goals the previous week. John Baker was in form last week, playing in front and snaring himself nine marks that resulted in scores. He finished the day with 4.8 but the damage was done in the midfield with Matt Swindells performing well across the wing and half forward, Nick Abley showed promise in the middle after crossing from the Seymour competition and Chris Collins battled hard. They led the Hawks for all except three minutes and ran away with a 34 point win after taking on every challenge that the Hawks threw at them.
Wallan - The Pies were down and out against Riddell after trailing by 87 points at half time. They say that you're only as good as your last quarter and the Pies finished stronger with four goals, on level par with the ladder leaders who had 3.6 on the board in the final term. Shannon Galea performed well with two goals while Luke Zeralla showed a lot of promise for Wallan in their loss.
THE GAME
The Tigers will head into this clash full of confidence and determination. The Pies were good in patches against Riddell but they will need a full four-quarter performance against Lancefield if they want to lift themselves to four wins for the season. This is a crucial game for the Pies. If they lose, they will likely fall two games behind a group of teams on the fringe of the top six looking to get in. If Lancefield gets up, it will help set up that important buffer. With Baker in fine form last week with four goals and Alex Laidlaw a strong forward target, the Tigers head into this clash as favourites and it will take a lot to defeat them. The 2012 wooden spooners could be knocking on the door of the top six tomorrow night.
Rupertswood v Woodend/Hesket
at Rupertswood Oval
Last week
Rupertswood - Rupo were simply blown off the park by a Brent Tuckey onslaught in the first half against Diggers REst. The Burra's kicked 15 first half goals to lead by 68 points and end the match as a contest. Mitch Wilson stepped up with two goals while Dave Morrice worked tirelessly through the middle with his typical hard hitting tackles and contested possessions that make him vital to Rupertswood's line-up. They received a great shock last week and will need to regather their confidence after losing three of the last four games.
Woodend/Hesket - The Hawks headed into the contest against the Tigers last week full of run and confidence after defeating Kilmore for their opening win of the season the previous week. The Tigers led at every change in last week's match after the Hawks led for just three minutes. Chris James was a power house in the midfield with four goals, two of them from well outside 50. He added some great excitement to the team and he will gradually gell with the likes of Donovan and Podbury in the midfield.
THE GAME
This shapes up as being a very important game for Rupertswood and a danger game given that the Hawks' form hasn't been all that bad in the last month. Rupertswood will rely on forwards Ben and Leigh Brennan to kick a big bag of goals each and boost percentage which will be crucial at the end of the season. Woodend/Hesket has great run off half-back with Alex Shipard and more recently, James Hepburn and Justin Rodda. Rupo should have all the answers and the confidence to win the four points at home, and could be in the top six at 5pm tomorrow. It won't be an easy game though.
SUNDAY
Sunbury Kangaroos v Riddell
at Eric Boardman Reserve
Last week
Sunbury Kangaroos - The reigning premiers enjoyed a well deserved week off thanks to the bye last week. They enjoyed a thumping 10 goal win over Macedon the previous week with the backline firming strong to restrict the Cats to just five goals. They were clinical in the performance at home and it showcases just how dominant they are as a team. They had a great all round performance from their charges in the win and will face this blockbuster head on with virtually a full list to choose from.
Riddell - The Bombers blew the Pies out of the water with an emphatic 93 point win. They kicked 3.6 in the final term to show that they were human after all as their lead grew at every change before levelling out in the final term. Young ruckman James Nolan finished with a big haul of five goals while Grant Puxley made the most of his return to football with an amazing performance. Ben Glasson showed some positive signs in his first senior game with the club.
THE GAME
This is the big Sunday blockbuster that everyone has been looking forward to all season. The two faced off in a stand alone clash last year and the Bombers triumphed by two points. This promises to be as big as that with a packed house expected at the Eric Boardman Reserve. The Kangaroos are hard to beat at home while the Bombers are undefeated and clearly the best side in the competition with the best defence. They've conceded just over 40 points per game on average as opposed to the Sunbury Kangaroos' 58. This has all the makings of an instant classic with a hearty midfield on both sides looking to challenge strong forward lines at either ends. Both teams rely heavily on their midfielders to kick goals and that is where the battle will be won. The Bombers are undefeated from 10 matches but will they have the tenacity to halt the Sunbury Kangaroos on their proud Eric Boardman fortress?
Tune in to 88.1FM at the ground, 100.7 Highlands FM or - highlandsfm.org.au
Last Modified on 05/07/2013 12:06