WOORINEN v TOOLEYBUC-MANANGATANG
TOOLEYBUC-Manangatang will go into their season defining match against Woorinen without two key players Friday afternoon.
Defender Olivia Fowler (ankle) is a confirmed omission for the Saints, while young gun Jayda Plant (wrist) is also in considerable doubt to take her place in the visitors’ line-up.
Ally Grace will most likely cover Fowler in defence, while a reshuffle of Tooleybuc-Manangatang’s midcourt would be required if Plant fails her overnight fitness test, with Emma Templeton likely to play in her absence.
The combination of Grace and Taylah Morris will need to be at their best in order to combat Woorinen goalers Tayla Bennett and Willow Conlan, with the Tigers proving themselves to be one of the most potent attacks in the Central Murray with 737 goals this season.
Only two teams have scored more goals than Woorinen this season, with Tooleybuc-Manangatang being one of them (749 goals) thanks to their dominant shooters Zoe Morris and Summer Blachford.
While Courtney Lolicato and Lily Den Houting work well in defence, it might well be that some extra height is needed to counter the tall Saints’ goalers.
Tip – Woorinen to win by two goals.
COHUNA v LAKE BOGA
LAKE Boga will be without star goal shooter Milla Holt for their final match against Cohuna Friday afternoon.
Holt’s absence will be a huge blow for the Magpies, who will be forced into a reshuffle with Montana Davies moving to goal shooter and Maddie Hickey into the centre the most likely and logical moves.
Cohuna on the other hand will be at full strength for the must-win match, with the Kangas not only needing to win, but win well, in order to keep their faint finals hopes alive.
Just 30 goals separates the fifth placed Saints and sixth placed Kangas ahead of Friday’s final round, with an attacking and aggressive Cohuna outfit expected to take to the court and try to set the tone early on Friday.
While Lake Boga have proven to be a much sterner challenge in the second half of the season than they were in the first, there’s just too much at stake for Cohuna to lose this one.
Tip – Cohuna to win by five goals.
BALRANALD v KERANG
KERANG goal shooter Denise Roberts will miss the Blues’ must-win clash against Balranald, with the Blues needing to win in order to remain in the top three come 2pm this Friday.
Roberts will be replaced in the Kerang side by Jamison Wise, with young gun Alli Hunter also in with a chance of seeing court time.
Roberts’ absence couldn’t come at a worse time, with Woorinen breathing down the Blues’ neck in the battle for third spot and Balranald shaping as a danger game.
The Roos’ form has fluctuated this season, none more so than the past three weeks, having pushed the Mallee Eagles in a very competitive game last Saturday.
That effort preceded losses to NNW United and Cohuna unfortunately and while the Roos are always a much tougher team on their own home court, it’s hard to see them toppling the Blues.
Tip – Kerang to win by eight goals.
TYNTYNDER v MALLEE EAGLES
TYNTYNDER will sign off on a challenging 2025 season when they host the ladder leading Mallee Eagles Friday afternoon.
While the Eagles have taken all before them this season, they will have a slightly different look when they take on the Bulldogs at the Alan Garden Reserve, with midcourter Kasey Torr expected to miss the match with a knee injury.
As critically important as Torr is to Mallee’s line-up, they should be able to provide good cover with Alicia Harvey and Lily Brennan in the centre third and Jess Jobling also capable of impacting off the bench.
For Tyntynder, the key will be in trying to limit the amount of supply the Eagles can feed into their goalers Megan Thorneycroft and Julia Amezdroz, with Bridgette King set for another big task opposed to Thorneycroft.
Tip – Mallee Eagles to win by 10 goals.
