MURRABIT and Macorna will be two sides looking to get their seasons back on track when they face each other at the Tigers’ den this weekend.
The Blues have been without a win since their triumph over the Tigers in round 2, when they fired on all cylinders to come away 22-point victors.
Since, Macorna have leapfrogged the Blues to sit a game clear in the ladder’s top four, but round 6 defeats for both sides have the pair vying for the spot.
For Murrabit the challenge of hitting the scoreboard remains, having surpassed the 60-point mark only twice this year, however one of those games came in the prior meeting with the Tigers.
That match was a headlined by the Blues skipper Nathan O’Toole putting on a masterclass, kicking four goals from his centre starting position and having a big impact around the contest.
But the Blues are still lacking a main goalkicking threat after the departure of last year’s leading goalkicker, Damian Cupido, who bagged 52 goals last year.
Murrabit coach Jack Shannahan has been the leading scorer for the Blues so far, kicking eight goals in his five games, followed by skipper O’Toole and Pat Bryan on five goals.
Macorna will be without skipper Laing Whinfield for the clash, after the defender received a one-week suspension in last week’s match against Wandella.
Wandella travel to Ultima, as they play a second-placed Roos side who they were able to keep up with for three quarters in their round 2 clash.
Hosting that much, the Bombers were able to remain within 13 points of the Roos up until the final break, before Ultima piled on eight goals to none.
Wandella coach Justin Robinson said his side may not have been fully up to speed in round 2 and he was “hoping for a different story this weekend”.
“We’d matched it with them right up until that last quarter,” he said.
“I think we just ran out of a bit of legs, and they just kept going and were able to kick away in the end.
“We looked pretty good in those three quarters against Ultima, so we’re just hoping to add another one and play out four good quarters.
“If we can do that, then who knows what we’ll be able to come away with.”
Wandella’s midfield will need to keep the Kangaroos onball pairing of Thomas Bull and Jake Foster quiet if they want to come away with the win.
But the Bombers’ attack on the footy through the likes of Russell Rich and Kaine O’Connell will make the midfield battle an intriguing watch.
Still undefeated after six rounds, Hay will travel to Moulamein on the hunt for a seventh consecutive win this year.
Hay’s goalkicking prowess was on full display against the Blues last week, piling on 24 goals from 28 scoring shots including bags of six and seven goals to William Collis and Declan Watson.
The Swans back line will need to be on their toes for the match, but the recent form of defenders Cody Storm, Xander Hartland and Mark Drotsky has been good.
If the Lions allow Trae Atkinson to get off the hook from the Swans half-back line, Moulamein will have the ability to quickly rebound and try to get their opponents on the counter.
The speedy half-back flanker has been one of the Swans’ best to start off his return to the club, while midfielders Rodney Reeves and Andrew May have also impressed.
But Hay’s trio of Collis, Jack Cattanach and Jacob Watson will all keep Moulamein on their toes, having the ability to tear a game apart at a moment’s notice.
