A SPOT in the top five will be on the line when Swan Hill hosts Lake Boga at the showgrounds on Saturday in what is shaping up as an eight-point game for both clubs.
The Swans have been the Central Murray league’s surprise packet in 2023, jumping out of the bottom half of the ladder with a young squad to suddenly become challengers for a finals berth.
The Magpies have been a touch disappointing and find themselves in seventh on the ladder with just four wins from their first eight matches despite recruiting well on the back of their drought-breaking finals appearance last season.
With very little separating the Swans (fifth) and Magpies (seventh) on the ladder, the match presents as an opportunity for both clubs to shore up their post-season chances – and significantly dent their oppositions hopes in the process.
For Swan Hill coach Callan Beasy, the match will be all about his young side grabbing the opportunity to prove to the league they are a genuine finals chance, while continuing the development that has been the focus of their season from the outset.
“We and Boga are vying for the same spot in the five, so it’s a pivotal game for both clubs and no doubt they will be emphasising exactly the same,” Beasy said.
“They have some good recruits and numerous quality players, and although we haven’t played them yet, by most reports they’re fairly tall and have some bigger bodies in their side.
“It’ll be a pretty physical contest – we’ll need to be prepared for that and try to use our speed and run them out the other way.
“We’ll be doing everything we can to get the four points, that goes without saying, but I don’t think we’ll get away from developing our kids at the same time.
“It’s the kids who are putting their hand up to have a crack, so they’re sort of picking themselves at the moment.”
While there’s some doubt over the availability of Wilhem Bennett due to his Vic Country commitments in a week’s time, the Swans will still have plenty of their talented youngsters taking the field, with Sonny Beasy and last Saturday’s impressive debutant Seamus Doherty confirmed starters.
“Seamus is only 15 years old and did well to get his hands on it as often as he did last week,” Beasy said.
“We’ll be looking to play him again and sometimes getting thrown in the deep end is the quickest way to learn.
“Whether we play him in the ruck or forward we don’t know – we’ve obviously got Toby (Thoolen) who can take the brunt of the ruckwork and if we can use Seamus to give Toby a bit of a chop out, I’m sure he’ll give us 50-50 contest at the least.”
The midfield battle should be where the match will be decided, with Jacob Simpson a key component of the Magpies’ capacity to win the ball out of the middle.
Matthew Wade has been as dominant as ever over previous weeks, while Brandon Houlihan and Jose Miliado have been good additions to the Swans’ on-ball rotations, allowing Xavier Moloney to push back and help out in defence.
They won’t have things all their own way however. Lake Boga’s big strength is their ability to win the contested ball out of the middle, with Tyle Williams, Nathaniel Holmes-Brown, Jake Warren and Ryan Fox all in form.
The one advantage the Magpies will have is up forward, with the Swans possessing no clear match-up for marking forward David Gourdis.
Gourdis’ ability to lead and provide a target will likely cause the Swans some headaches, even with Tom Corridan pulling on the maroon and white for the first time last Saturday.
With Lochie Laing likely to play forward alongside Dustin Burns, the Magpies could further stretch the Swan Hill defence by swinging Angus Monfries into attack. The veteran Magpie, playing across half-back, has been among the team’s better players in recent weeks.
In a match that has fast become a genuine toss of the coin, the Magpies simply have too much to lose and, despite their indifferent form, should get the job done.
Tip – Lake Boga to win by four points.
KEY MATCH-UP
Xavier Moloney v Lake Boga’s forwards
One thing is clear, Lake Boga can ill-afford to do what Koondrook-Barham did last Saturday and allow Moloney to play as a loose man in defence.
Moloney tore the Raiders to shreds, not only with his clean ball use, but his ability to read the play and intercept in the Swans’ defensive half.
Lake Boga must keep him accountable and either send a defensive forward to stand alongside the Swans veteran, or use his direct opponent to keep Moloney accountable in defence.
THE BURNING QUESTION
Does Toby Thoolen play forward again – or move back into the ruck?
Despite the great debut of Seamus Doherty in the ruck last Saturday against the Raiders, the match will be a sharp rise in grade for the youngster opposed to one of the league’s best ruckmen, Jacob Simpson.
The Swans appear caught between a rock and a hard place with the in-form Thoolen and desperately need him as their key marking target deep forward. But he would ideally be used in nullifying the influence of Simpson out of the middle.
Do they run the risk of Simpson – and Lake Boga – dominating the game out of the middle, or do they take the risk of not having the marking target they so desperately need? Time will tell.
