BALRANALD v MALLEE EAGLES
It will be a big day at Greenham Park tomorrow when the Mallee Eagles travel north to take on Balranald – with the home side set to unveil a big-name addition for the must-win clash.
Former Adelaide, Essendon and St Kilda ruckman-forward Shaun McKernan will strap on the boots for the Roos for the one-off game, with Balranald needing to win in order to stay in touch with the top five.
The home side will also welcome back joint coach Jydon Neagle, midfielder Jack Salau and defender Daniel Bland. Neagle’s class and ball use were sorely missed in Balranald’s last two games.
While the home side’s injury list is starting to shrink, the same cannot be said for the Mallee Eagles, with the mounting injury toll now threatening to completely derail their finals’ hopes. Zac O’Meara and Wes Bennett won’t take their place in the Eagles line-up after both suffered injuries during their team’s nine-point loss to the Cohuna Kangas a fortnight ago. The duo joins a growing list of injured players, which includes coach Brent Sheahan, Brady Fordham, Sam Dunstan, Jack Shannahan and Jake Foster among a number of others.
But the Eagles are still more than capable of beating Balranald – especially with a high-quality midfield at their disposal. Harry Allen is all class and is slowly starting to return to his Jack Betts Medal-winning form of 2019, while Toby Sheahan, Darcy McGregor and Beau Bennett are all capable of turning a game with their work around the stoppages and their ability to break the lines.
While the visitors still possess the better side on paper, an upset wouldn’t surprise – especially against a fired-up Balranald on their own home patch.
Tip – Balranald to win by 6 points.
COHUNA KANGAS v LAKE BOGA
The second-placed Cohuna Kangas will host Lake Boga this weekend, in a potential danger game for the home side.
After starting the season with six straight wins, the Kangas have since fallen into a hole as injuries have taken their toll. A 66-point loss to ladder leaders Kerang was followed up with an unimpressive nine-point win over the Mallee Eagles prior to the Queen’s Birthday bye.
Adding to the Kangas’ woes will be the loss of Christopher Anderson and Tyson Findlay, with the latter injuring his hamstring for the second time this season and set to spend a considerable amount of time on the sidelines alongside Tom Toma, Jack Donat, Tyler Jones and Riley Hird.
It’s not all bad news for the home side however, with midfield bull Jarrod Findlay and dangerous midfielder-forward Daniel Coates set to resume after missing the team’s narrow win over the Eagles.
For the Magpies, Rhys Healey, Jayden Lonergan and Noah Sherlock are all a chance to return from injury. Lake Boga would be still reeling from their last outing – a five-point loss to Tyntynder, a game that would have seen them almost lock away a finals berth.
Despite their injury list, the Kangas should still get the job done – especially with their ability to spread their opposition on the wide-open expanses of the Cohuna Recreation Reserve.
Tip – Cohuna to win by 21 points.
KOONDROOK-BARHAM v WOORINEN
Woorinen will be out to tighten their grip on a top three berth when they face Koondrook-Barham.
The Tigers were disappointed at their last outing against Tooleybuc-Manangatang, despite a 47-point win. They will get their chance to make amends for that tomorrow against another lowly opponent, with the Raiders having been one of the competition whipping boys.
Koondrook-Barham suffered a heavy defeat to NNW United a fortnight ago, with a four-goal last quarter helping save some face in the 74-point defeat to a team that at that point sat directly above them on the ladder.
There are many problems at the Raiders, but perhaps the most glaringly obvious one is their inability to score. The Raiders are averaging just over 44 points per game this season and have a percentage of just 41.84 from the first half of the season. It would no doubt be high on the list of issues to rectify for new coach Darren Troy – along with their ball movement and stoppage work.
There are no such issues for the Tigers through the midfield, with Jye Barry, Josh Domaille and Rob Miller consistently among their club’s better players this season, along with defender Angus Butterfield.
The other player who has made a significant difference in recent weeks is former AFL player Patrick Veszpremi, with his addition to Woorinen’s half back line providing plenty of run and carry, along with quality ball use going inside the Tigers attacking fifty.
Add in Arnold Kirby to the mix, along with quality youngsters Robert Rush and Henry Thompson and the Tigers are as good as sure things to notch up win number seven.
Tip – Woorinen to win by 50 points.
TOOLEYBUC-MANANGATANG v KERANG
It will be like David taking on Goliath when Tooleybuc-Manangatang hosts Kerang at the Manangatang Recreation Reserve on Saturday – although in this telling of the tale, I wouldn’t hold out much hope for the underdogs.
The Saints will be hoping a change of home venue helps bring about a change of fortunes, but opposed to the undefeated Blues, that would appear a tough ask.
The home side will regain the services of Lachie Gleeson from a hamstring injury, with his return to strengthen their half back line. The problem for Tooleybuc-Manangatang will be getting their hands on the ball out of the middle, especially opposed to the depth and quality of the Blues on-ball brigade.
Kerang’s midfield won’t be at its usual strength, with Marty Kelly set to join Sam Heavyside and Bronson Booth on the sidelines. The Blues will still have Ryan Gillingham, Nick Stagg, Brad Pay, Josh Nitschke and Rylee Smith all rotating through their engine room and creating havoc.
Troy Coates and Brandon Hayes are also expected to be absent. Off-setting their loss will be the returns of Jesse Clark, Josh Hann and ruckman Scott Pay.
The other big problem facing the Saints will be putting a score on the board and finding a way through the well organised Kerang back six. Brayden Pitcher has been in good form up forward, with 16 goals from his last four matches, but will need more support if they are to even be remotely competitive.
Tip – Kerang to win by 70 points.
SWAN HILL v NNW UNITED
The final game of round ten will see a rejuvenated Nyah-Nyah West United take on Swan Hill, in a contest that may well turn out to be one of the closest of the weekend.
The Swans were gallant in going down by 11 points to Tyntynder last Saturday in the stand-alone Queens Birthday game and will be desperate to reverse the result against a Demons outfit that is starting to find form.
NNW United’s last two games have resulted in strong wins over Tooleybuc-Manangatang (117 points) and Koondrook-Barham (74 points), but question marks over the strength of both sides this season.
The Swans will pose a much sterner test, especially with the ominous form of their joint coach and prime ball mover Matthew Wade. The key to the Swans’ improvement is the improvement of those around their leader, especially through the midfield. Cooper Angus is starting to show positive signs of being a dominant ball winner, while Tyler Makepeace hasn’t been able to get an extended run at the season, with injuries helping to contribute to a stop-start season for the talented youngster.
The Demons are starting to put together a decent midfield, especially with the recent addition of Dylan Mclachlan. With Brady Davidson, Zac Caccaviello, Corey Daniels and Ethan Saville, who will come back into United’s side this week, all running through the Demons midfield rotations, the visitors have a combination capable of challenging the Swans.
The key difference could well be Swan Hill’s tall timber, with Toby Thoolen and Xavier Mertz posted at both ends of the ground and Buol Majur doing the ruckwork. And if Majur is able to give his midfielders first use of the ball, it could well prove to be the difference in a nail-biter.
Tip – Swan Hill to win by 3 points.
