HAVING won consecutive games for the first time this season, Tyntynder will be aiming to continue their winning form when they travel to Lalbert to meet a much-improved Mallee Eagles outfit on Saturday.
Both clubs find themselves knee-deep in the finals race, with the Eagles round 6 draw against Kerang all that’s stopping them from sitting above the Bulldogs (fifth).
While the home side (sixth) will come into tomorrow’s must-win encounter fresh off the bye, Tyntynder will come in full of confidence after hanging on for a hard-fought six-point win over arch-rivals Swan Hill last Saturday.
It was a game that confirmed Tyntynder’s credentials as a potential finals outfit, according to Mallee Eagles co-coach Harry Allen, with the Bulldogs securing the four points despite the inclusion of several impactful players for the Swans.
“(Tyntynder are) going really well at the moment,” Allen said. “They had a bit of a tight game last week but they’re playing good footy from what I’ve seen so, we’ll have to bring our best footy in order to get the job done.
“The last month we’ve started to hit our straps and we’re pretty confident that we can take on anyone and beat anyone on our day.
“They obviously got the win and the extra game last week, so if we can get the win and jump back in the five and maintain our form, hopefully we can put a bit of a gap between them and keep climbing up the ladder.”
Although the Bulldogs come into the match in good form, it’s hard to argue that the Eagles aren’t the buzz team of the competition at present, having won three of their past four matches and drawn with reigning premiers Kerang in the other.
This includes defeating last season’s runner-up Balranald at their last outing, with Allen pleased to see his club’s best football begin to emerge after a slow start to the season.
“It was good to see our method and our system standing up, like any team, you never want to lose games early in the year and while they weren’t bad losses, we probably learned a bit more about ourselves,” Allen said.
“Beating Balranald at Balranald is one of the toughest assignments you can face and they’re obviously going pretty well as well, but it was our pressure and inside game where I thought we stood tall.”
Both attributes will be key factors against Tyntynder, with the Bulldogs priding themselves on their team defence and ability to win the contested ball this season under new coach Jack O’Rourke.
The other key element for the visitors is their strength up forward, with Jason Eagle (19 goals), Jayden Magro (13) and midfielder Roy George (12) all reaching double figures in goals kicked this season and presenting each opposition defence with different problems.
“Tyntynder have their assets up forward with Magro and Eagle, but we still feel we have the talls to counteract them. They also have the young midfielders that can run and on their day they can push sides in that area as well, so I think we need to be strong on the inside which is where we’ve been good and just expand from there.
“Their scoring power is good and last weekend is proof of their ability to score heavily, but for us, it’s just about taking away those scoring options,” Allen said.
“Obviously Eagle loves the one-on-ones, being such a strong contested marker, but if we can force a bit more congestion in the back half and create a bit of a scrap for them, but really explode out of defence when we get the ball, that will be the plan.
“Alternatively, we feel we have enough weapons up forward to potentially expose their defenders, but we’ll need to be on our game with our ball movement to take full advantage.”
Dane Swan and Solomon McKay, who will return to play with Heidelberg, will be the omissions for Tyntynder, while the Eagles will be without Beau Bennett (hamstring), Wes Bennett (hamstring) and Paul Davis from the team that defeated Balranald by five points a fortnight ago.
The news isn’t all bad for the Eagles however, with Clinton Cummins, Jordan Robins and Harry Hollow all set to resume from injury, with the trio expected to give the home side the edge in a close one.
Tip – Mallee Eagles to win by eight points.
KEY MATCH-UP
Jayden Post v Jayden Magro
One of the key factors in the Eagles recent good form has been the move of former Richmond forward Jayden Post to defence, where his ability to read the play and intercept mark has seen him become an immovable force for most opposition teams over the past month.
As damaging as Post has been, the same can be said for Magro, who was among the Bulldogs’ key players in their six-point win over Swan Hill last Saturday, with the half-forward playing the link role between defence and attack to perfection.
Although Post is unlikely to play directly on Magro, as the Eagles will surely want to play a tighter lockdown defender on the key forward, it will be the player who has the most impact at that end of the ground who will go a long way towards securing their team the four points.
THE BURNING QUESTION
Do the Eagles have a plan to stop Roy George?
If they don’t, they would want to think of one quickly after George’s dominance last Saturday against Swan Hill.
The Bulldogs midfielder has been one of the league’s most damaging onballers in the first eight rounds of the season, with his ability to dominate around the stoppages and explode on the outside matched only by his ability to hit the scoreboard when going forward.
George has not only developed into one the league’s best onballers, but taken the mantle as Tyntynder’s player to stop for opposition teams, as he provides his team with a point of difference through the middle.
The Eagles’ big strength is their ability to win contested possessions through the midfield. But their lack of genuine speed compared with the Bulldogs could be an area of the game Tyntynder – and George – could exploit.
