WITH four consecutive wins on the board, the Cohuna Kangas will be aiming to continue their late-season push for a finals berth when they host the Mallee Eagles this Saturday afternoon.
After starting the season 2-6, the Kangas have turned their season around in recent weeks, with last Saturday’s 60-point win over Tyntynder lifting them to sixth on the ladder and on the cusp of breaking into the top five for the first time this season.
While Cohuna have been one of the form teams over the past month, standing in their way is perhaps their biggest test, with the Mallee Eagles looming as a genuine title contender this year.
For Cohuna coach Jack Geary it is a simple equation, with the first-year coach undaunted by the prospect of needing to end the Eagles’ own six-game winning streak in order to keep their season alive.
“We’ve been playing cut-throat footy for the past four weeks now,” Geary told The Guardian this week.
“When we were at 2-6, we just wound it back and said let’s just enjoy the rest of the year.
“While I don’t think that’s been the whole change, the atmosphere has just been a little bit more laid back and jovial.
“I said to the boys at training this week let’s not get away from that now that we’re back in the hunt, let’s continue to play with freedom.
“Our fate’s in our hands now and while the rest of our games are realistically eight-point matches and against teams that are around or above us on the ladder, if we win them, we play finals.
“At the very least we’re not too reliant on other results needing to go our way, I suppose.”
Cohuna are expected to have an unchanged line-up, while the Eagles could potentially lose intercept defender Zac O’Meara from the team that kept Tooleybuc-Manangatang goalless with a knee injury.
In round 5, the Eagles overcame a slow start to claim a 22-point win over the Kangas in wet conditions at Lalbert.
That match was Mallee Eagles co-coach Harry Allen’s first for the season, with the midfielder expecting a very different contest than last time.
“A lot of things have changed in that period of time,” Allen said.
“We’d like to think that we’ve improved since then and so will Cohuna.
“Certainly over the past month they’ve found some form and are starting to hit their straps a bit.
“(Round 5) was one of those games where we got a bit of a feel for a few of their players and how they want to move the ball, but clearly there’s a big difference between Cohuna’s ground and ours in terms of size and space.
“We’ll be very wary of how they move the ball because they look as though they have been playing some good footy over the past few weeks.
“Cohuna is a big ground and if you’re not careful, they can expose you, but I think for us it will come down to work rate.
“Anyone can play well on big grounds, but if we’re not willing to work hard, set up well and be organised, then we’ll be in trouble.”
The key battleground will be in the middle, where Kangas superstars Joel Helman, Jack Geary and Jarrod Findlay will go head to head against Allen, Brent Macleod, Darcy McGregor and mid-season recruit Nathan Bisset.
The other key player for the Kangas will be ruckman Christopher Anderson, who has been somewhat of a barometer for the home side after his return from a broken hand, with the Eagles likely to tag team Anderson with Jai Middleton and Kieren Bourke.
Negating the visitors’ scoring power will be the biggest test for Cohuna, with Darcy Hourigan (43 goals) and Andrew Mead-Harding (20 goals) starting to form a formidable partnership.
Coupled with the fact the Kangas will be without defender Brenton Conforti and the Eagles will go in as deserved favourites, in a game that could easily either way.
“We were completely outplayed by them last time,” Geary said.
“We were good in the first quarter, but from that point on they completely outplayed and out-worked us.
“In hindsight, we didn’t play well, but at the same time we were convincingly beaten for three quarters and only lost by 22 points.
“The fact that we were able to get within 22 points should mean that we are close enough to beating them if we can get the game played on our terms.
“They are a good side obviously, but I believe they are gettable, especially on our bigger ground.”
Tip – Mallee Eagles to win by 10 points.
KEY MATCH-UP
Jude Palmer v Jayden Post
NOT sure whether Palmer is the right man for the job or not, but if I’m Jack Geary I’m looking for somebody with size who is capable of playing as a defensive forward and nullifying the influence of Post as an intercept defender.
With Zac O’Meara unlikely to play, Post will be even more important to his side’s chances of victory with his ability to read the play behind the ball and cut off many of his opponents’ forward advances.
Palmer certainly has the height and athleticism, but the challenge will be for him, or whoever has the task, of putting aside his attacking instincts and instead focusing on restricting Post’s impact.
THE BURNING QUESTION
Have the Kangas really turned the corner and are they ready to cause an upset?
COHUNA’S results over the past month make for interesting reading – yes, they have won their past four games, but how much weight do victories over Lake Boga, Koondrook-Barham, Balranald and Tyntynder really carry?
Balranald was the game that made everyone pay attention, but the Roos’ form without Jydon Neagle has been patchy lately and there is no doubt the Eagles are in better form.
Cohuna’s second half against Tyntynder last week was sensational by all reports and if they can produce that sort of form again, will be right in the contest.
