by Shane Fleming
TYNTYNDER v NNW UNITED
Tyntynder will be looking to return to the winners list when they host Nyah-Nyah West United at the Alan Garden Reserve tomorrow afternoon.
The young pups would have been bitterly disappointed with their performance last weekend against Kerang, with the game effectively over as a contest at half time.
The Demons will present a different challenge tomorrow however, with the Doggies going in as favorites this time around.
NNW United will likely welcome back Ben Shadbolt and Jason Manning from injury, with both players to inject some much-needed pace into the Demons line-up.
The bigger issue for coach Corey Daniels could well be the possible absence of in-form forward Brent Arho; with the Queenslander’s availability in considerable doubt through the sunshine states latest Covid outbreak.
Tyntynder on the other hand will have a big inclusion to their side, with ruckman Dylan Smillie having served his two-match suspension for striking.
If the Demons are to get the job done tomorrow, they simply must find a way to limit Marcus Wattie’s influence out of the middle.
Wattie has fast become one of the competitions most skillful onballers; and his ability to not only win the hard ball but use it effectively makes him extremely dangerous for any opposition.
NNW United may well send Zac Threadgold to do a job on Wattie, with the young Demon showing in previous weeks the ability to limit the oppositions gun midfielders.
One area of concern for the Dogs though has to be their forward line, particularly their ability to put a winning score on the board.
Justin Ellis’s men are averaging just over 74 points a game so far this season, with midfielder Wattie the only player to have kicked over ten goals in 2021.
Ellis’s recent return to the team should help in this area, but it is the one facet of their game they simply must improve if they want to have a sustained run deep into the season.
For United, the game will be won and lost out of the middle. If Brady Davidson, Joel Walsh and Daniels can all find plenty of the ball, then an upset could well be on the cards.
But with the likelihood of Arho’s absence, it’s hard to tip against a team that will be playing for their final’s dreams.
Tip – Tyntynder by 9 points.
KERANG v KOONDROOK-BARHAM
Kerang will be looking to make it seven wins in a row when they host arch rivals Koondrook-Barham at Riverside Park on Saturday.
The Raiders recorded their second win of the season last week against the Saints, but will face a much tougher assignment tomorrow.
Kal Huntly’s return last weekend provided his team with another big body around the contest; and he will be very much needed again tomorrow to help combat the depth that the Blues on-ball unit possess.
One player who won’t be out there for Kerang though is young midfielder Laine Harry, who looks likely to miss the rest of the season with a ruptured ACL.
Even with the loss of Harry, Kerang still have perhaps the deepest midfield in the competition, with Sam Heavyside, Brad Pay, Ryan Gillingham and Marty Kelly all among the competition’s premium midfielders.
Throw Troy Davis into the mix and you start to get an idea as to why the Blues currently find themselves in second spot on the ladder.
It’s not just through the midfield where Kerang are dangerous though, with perhaps their greatest strength being their back six.
Michael Dalrymple is perhaps one of the most underrated players in the league, with his ability to read the game and intercept mark almost unapparelled.
Josh Nitschke and Sam Radcliffe rarely get beaten, while Tom Dunham has slipped seamlessly into the defensive unit as well.
The Raiders on their day however have the necessary firepower up forward to worry the Blues defence; it just all comes down to getting enough supply.
Jay Reynolds, Matt O’Dwyer and the spring-healed Kye Attwell can all pose problems to any side that takes them lightly.
The problem this season has been putting it all together on the same day.
If Koondrook-Barham want to cause an upset tomorrow, they must be prepared to win it at the contest.
The Mallee Eagles laid the blueprint for the competition a fortnight ago in how to beat Kerang, with a hunger to win the contested ball and pressure the usually unflappable Blues players into poor decisions and skill errors by hunting in numbers.
If the Raiders fail to follow the Eagles modus operandi, then they too may fall to the same fate as Tyntynder last weekend; with the game being over by half time.
Tip – Kerang by 40 points.
MALLEE EAGLES v BALRANALD
It’s fair to say the Mallee Eagles are back with a bang following their win over the previously undefeated Woorinen last weekend.
Unfortunately for their opponents tomorrow in Balranald, they are at the other end of the spectrum, after coming off a loss to the previously winless Lake Boga.
Last week would have been a huge disappointment for the Roo’s, especially with a win needed to keep their finals hopes alive.
In a must win game, they were second to the footy and were quite simply outworked.
It was a performance that would have been reflected on a lot during the week; and a performance that you could expect won’t be repeated tomorrow afternoon.
Ben Fuller’s absence will be felt hard again by Balranald, especially on the smaller Lalbert oval.
Fuller is a strong presence up forward and his loss is almost impossible to replace.
The midfield is where this game will be won and lost however, especially with Harry Allen, Beau Bennett and Darcy McGregor spending considerable time there for the Eagles in recent weeks.
The move of Toby Sheahan and Jack Shannahan to half back last weekend proved to be a master stroke from Dean Helmers, but whether he persists with that approach or not remains to be seen.
Tom McGregor was also thrown forward at times against the Tigers and may be again, especially in the absence of no obvious match-up down back to suit.
McGregor provided his team with a viable target up forward last week without Rex Hickman in the side; and even though he was unable to hit the scoreboard, he at least provided a contest and brought his teammates into the game.
Colin Andrews has been in fantastic form for Balranald this season and will need to produce his best again tomorrow, as will Cam Barrett, Harrison Soraggi and the Salau boys through the middle of the ground.
On current form however, it would be a brave person to tip against the Mallee Eagles at the moment; certainly someone who is far braver than me anyway.
Tip – Mallee Eagles by 20 points.
TOOLEYBUC-MANANGATANG v LAKE BOGA
Lake Boga will be hoping to make it two from two when they face off against a desperate Tooleybuc-Manangatang side that will be out to register their first win of the season tomorrow afternoon.
The Saints have been an improved side since the season shutdown, with this week looming as their best chance to break their duck.
It seems simple to say, but perhaps the most important element of this match-up will be the start, with neither side yet to win a first quarter for the season.
Last week’s win over Balranald did come at a cost for Lake Boga, with Jayden Lonergan, John Harvey and Matt Taverna all suffering injuries in their sides seven-point win, with all expected to miss tomorrow’s game.
Justin Cooper has found his touch over the last few weeks and will be important for his side’s chances once again, as will midfielders Tom Carland and Gareth Grant.
Cooper though will need some help up forward if the Saints are to kick a winning score as he can’t be expected to do it on his own.
Lachie Gleeson and Shaun Jackson are both capable of kicking multiple goals, while Ryan Domaille will provide a strong target if he plays forward.
With Lonergan’s likely absence, a lot of pressure will go onto Angus Monfries to kick a winning score for Boga.
With either John Wardle or Mitch Ferrie likely to go to Monfries in an attempt to shut him out of the game, the Pies may well want to work on a plan B.
The one area of the game Lake Boga would be expected to have a stranglehold on though is the midfield, especially with Matt Filo, Kyle Brawn and Nathaniel Holmes-Brown all roving to ruckman Matthew Crooks.
This could well be one of Tooley-Manang’s last chances of a win this season; but unfortunately for the Saints faithful, it appears as though they might just be running into a Lake Boga outfit that’s starting to hit their straps.
Tip – Lake Boga by 10 points.
WOORINEN v SWAN HILL
Woorinen will play host to Swan Hill in what may well be the match of the round this weekend.
The Tigers will no doubt be smarting after being handed their first loss of the season last Saturday, while Swan Hill will also be looking to return to the winners list after going down to the Cohuna Kangas by 50-points.
Woorinen will regain Josh Domaille who has recovered from a groin injury, as well as Nyawi Moore and Lachie Wright from the Pioneers.
The Swans will also likely benefit from the Bendigo Pioneers having the bye this weekend, with Max Dow likely to return to the Swan’s line-up.
Mitch Makepeace on the other hand will be in doubt, after the Swan Hill forward suffered a corked thigh against the Kangas.
Makepeace’s absence would be a huge loss for Swan Hill, especially with Xavier Moloney still unavailable; and if Xavier Mertz is also missing once again for the Swan’s it all of a sudden becomes very difficult to see how the visitors are likely to kick a winning score.
That shouldn’t be an issue for the Tigers however, with a number of options at their disposal to rotate through their forward line.
Doug Palmer, Tom Isma and Nick O’Neill are all capable of kicking multiple goals, while Josh Stone played predominately forward last week before being shifted into the midfield with great affect.
The one match-up that will be a battle worth watching will be in the ruck between the inform Arnold Kirby and Swan Hill veteran Toby Thoolen.
Kirby’s return to the Tigers has seen him take over the number one ruck role and has elevated his game to a new level this season, while Thoolen hardly ever plays a bad game, with his physical presence always a key element to the way Swan Hill structure up.
If Swan Hill are to have any chance of victory, they simply have to dominate out of the middle and avoid bombing it inside their forward fifty where Jamie Nicholas and Doug Beames will be waiting to pounce.
Tip – Woorinen by 27 points.
