MACORNA v WANDELLA
THIRD placed Wandella will be out to keep the pressure on the second placed Swans when they travel to Macorna to take on the Tigers in tomorrow’s GRFNL Indigenous Round marque game.
The Bombers will be keen to make amends for last weeks loss to premiership favorites Nullawil.
Sam Taylor’s men showed the competition they may well be the next best team in it in 2021, despite missing a number of players, including Logan Keighran and Matt Wilkinson last week.
Macorna on the other hand are sitting at the other end of the spectrum, following their loss to the previously winless Ultima in the dying stages last round.
The Tigers’ consistency within games has been an issue all season thus far; and last week was no exception.
After dominating the first quarter with five goals, albeit with the wind at their back, they then managed to score just four majors for the remainder of the afternoon.
It’s an area of their game they simply must improve on.
Ultima were able to restrict leading goalkicker Jaydon Stiles to just one goal for the game and in return completely nullified Macorna’s ability to score.
The Tigers have to find other avenues to goal if they are to have any chance tomorrow; and it may well be one of Jordan Simpson or Josh Stiles that has to spend more time in attack.
Wandella have great depth across the ground and it will be this element that will hold them in good stead tomorrow.
Jordan Robertson and Alex Kirby have been revelations for the Bombers with their run and speed on the wing and off half back this season, while Justin Robinson and Sam Taylor have both been in scintillating form all season.
If Wandella can find a way to keep both James Flack and Mitch Treacy on the field and out of the medical room they may well be able to make things a little uncomfortable for Nully later in the season; but for this week at least, they should make light work of the Tigers.
Tip – Wandella by 36 points.
NULLAWIL v MURRABIT
THE unbeaten Nullawil will play host this week to Murrabit, with the ladder leaders set to go into the game as unbackable favorites.
The Maroons are so far having a season to remember, and will only get stronger tomorrow afternoon with the expected return of Andrew Oberdorfer to their already potent forward line and Brad Murray to play wherever the key tall is best suited.
Making the Blues task harder will be the loss of Tom Hetherington with a groin and coach Leigh Millard with a knee injury.
They will however regain Bryden Morison, after the damaging onballer missed last weeks loss to Ultima with hamstring tightness.
If Murrabit are to even be competitive, they must at least break even around the stoppages.
Too often Nullawil’s midfield, led by Matt Quigley, were able to link up by hand and easily work the ball from the inside of the contest to the outside last week. Murrabit have the top-level talent to match the Maroon’s in this area with Morison, Nathan O’Toole and Marc O’Neill all capable of changing a game, but they will need more help from their teammates if they are to match it with Nully’s deep on-ball brigade.
Brody Green and Michael Grant off half-back have been influential for the Blues this season, but will have their work cut out for them in a forward line that consists of Mitch Farmer, Andrew Casey, Rylee Smith and Oberdorfer, with Nathan Henry expected to play in defence to help stem the flow of goals.
With their Round 5 encounter earlier this season ending in a 100-point loss, the Blues will be just hoping to avoid a similar fate this time around. In fact, anything under a ten-goal margin would probably be seen as a win for the visitors.
Tip – Nullawil by 50 points.
QUAMBATOOK v MOULAMEIN
IN what is likely to be the match of the round, fourth placed Quambatook will host the second placed Moulamein in a game that could well have serious finals ramifications for both sides.
The Swans are now vulnerable to dropping outside the top two following their defeat to Hay last weekend, while the Saints are now at risk of dropping out of the top four with a loss tomorrow afternoon, although a strong percentage of 111 should see them safe at least for another week.
This will be the second meeting between both sides this season after Moulamein came away with a 23-point win back in round five.
On that occasion, Quamby jumped the Swans with a seven goal first quarter, but couldn’t maintain the advantage as Moulamein fought back to level the scores at half time, before kicking six goals to two after the main break.
Andrew Silva and Michael Morson combined for seven majors that day and will once again pose a threat up front for the Saints.
Jordan Lampi and Jason Butty were two players that missed through injury for the Saints back in round five, and if Lampi returns after missing last week’s win over Murrabit, then both will make a huge difference this time around.
Butty has eight goals from his two games since returning from injury, while Lampi has been in great touch both up forward and running through the middle.
This game is likely to be decided in the midfield, with both having damaging onballers at their disposal.
Gregor Knight, Tobie Cameron and Ricky Wild are all high-quality runners and use the ball with precision for the Saints, while Brady Fordham has taken his game to another level since heading across to Moulamein.
Fordham has quickly become an integral part of the Swans midfield brigade alongside Nathan Buckley and Ash Dickison.
In a game that could well be a precursor to the finals, expect a tough, hard fought contest, with a winner almost impossible to pick. Almost.
Tip – Quambatook by two points.
ULTIMA v HAY
Ultima will be on top of the world after registering their first win of season 2021 last round, when they host Hay to round out this weekend’s matches in the Golden Rivers.
Although last week’s three-point win over Macorna has them off the dreaded duck, Hay will pose a far more significant challenge, with the Lions starting to hit their straps since the Covid shutdown.
A ten-goal third quarter last weekend saw Hay run away with a 51-point win and hand Moulamein just their second loss of the season; a result that could set up a run towards the finals.
Simon Bunyan was the key catalyst for the Lions win with a nine-goal performance, while Scott Adams was the dominant player on the ground in the ruck.
His battle tomorrow with Josh Dwyer looms as crucial for both clubs, with each team’s strength usually coming from the middle of the ground.
Ultima will have a number of key inclusions, with Brendan Hole, Will Watson, Lachie Paull and veteran Stuart Polkinghorne all a chance to return for the Roos.
Hole, Watson and Paull will all add depth to Ultima’s midfield and provide a strong contested presence, while the experienced Polkinghorne will be a welcome addition to Ultima’s back six.
One player who won’t be out there for the home side will be Andrew Bennett, who accepted a one-match suspension during the week for striking.
For the Lions, Ken Jubb is a 50-50 prospect of returning to the line-up after he was a late withdrawal last week with a quad injury.
Hay’s big strength is fast becoming their backline, with Jack Cattanach and Seb Webb forming a great partnership across half back in recent weeks.
With Jubb’s potential return as a key defender, alongside James Eddy and Jackson Ferguson, the Lion’s are fast becoming one of the hardest teams to score against.
Which Ultima will more than likely find out about come 2.30pm tomorrow afternoon.
Tip – Hay by 30 points.
