NULLAWIL v WANDELLA
Wandella will be hoping for a far better showing second time around when they travel to Nullawil to take on the Maroons tomorrow afternoon.
The Bombers could only manage the one solitary goal when these two teams met back in round three this season, with Nully eventually running away with a comfortable 106-point victory. Mitch Farmer did most of the damage with five goals that day, while Andrew Casey and Jordan Humphreys were almost unstoppable through the centre of the ground in a game where their premiership favourites really flexed their muscles.
Wandella are a much different team this time around, however, with five wins from their last six games seeing the Bombers close the gap on their finals rivals. Matt Wilkinson and Ricky Cathie will both return from injury for visitors tomorrow, with Cathie’s inclusion coming at an opportune moment with Nullawil also expected to welcome their ruckman Dean Putt back into the fray this week as well.
Their battle will be crucial to the outcome, with much of the Maroons’ dominance starting out of the middle and their ability to win the bulk of the stoppages through their incredibly potent midfield. Mitch Farmer will be the other key player for the home side, having returned from injury a fortnight ago in-form, booting 14 goals across the two games. If Wandella are to have any chance of an upset then they need to restrict Farmer’s influence – which may well mean sending their No.1 defender Tim Robinson to him.
Wandella have their own forwards who could potentially cause the Maroons a few headaches if they are able to get enough supply across the four quarters. Corey Walters kicked seven goals in an impressive display against fellow finals aspirant Moulamein, while Logan Keighran and Sam Sperling have also shown they are both capable of kicking a bag of goals at their best.
If the Bombers’ forwards are going to be a factor, then their midfield has to give them enough supply to put the opposition defence under pressure – and it’s here where the plan will likely fall down.
Tip – Nullawil to win by 42 points.
MACORNA v ULTIMA
Tomorrow’s game against Ultima is nothing short of a must-win game for Macorna – if the Tigers want to have any hope of staying in the finals race.
Macorna currently find themselves two wins plus percentage outside the top four – and with just seven games remaining in the season, are leaving their run rather late.
Ultima will be no pushover either, as the Roos have certainly improved in recent weeks compared with their earlier season form, when the Tigers completed a 65-point demolition job in round three. This time around, Ultima will have a bit more confidence about them off the back of competitive performances against Nullawil and Moulamein in recent weeks.
The visitors will also enter the game with a relatively settled line-up, with no major changes expected from last week’s team that went down by 85 points to the ladder leaders. Sean O’Reilly has been sensational out of the centre square this season and is providing some much-needed help to gun on-baller Mitch Seton-Stewart and Darcy Farrell.
All three will need to be at their best in order to counter Macorna’s engine room, especially the hard-running Malcolm Neiwand and classy Daniel Green and Dylan Goulding. Ultima will also have to find a way to negate both key position players Jaydon Stiles and Lachlan Ritchie – especially if Ritchie plays forward as expected.
If that occurs, it may well fall to Riley Haberman and Martyn Cooper to do the job, with Jamie Nicholas being the fall-back option if either player gets off the chain for the Tigers. Roos coach Kyle Symons will be loath to pull that lever, as Ultima would most likely prefer to use Nicholas as a key forward, especially in the continued absence of Ryan Devereux.
While Macorna should get the job done, there’s no doubt this is a danger game for them – and if they don’t turn up with the right mindset, then it could be curtains on their finals aspirations in 2022.
Tip – Macorna to win by 24 points.
HAY v QUAMBATOOK
Hay will be looking to bounce back following last Saturday’s disappointing 102-point loss at the hands of Murrabit when they host Quambatook tomorrow afternoon.
The Lions were mediocre last week, even with a number of key players missing from their line-up – especially on the back of beating one of the competition’s leading teams in Wandella the game prior. It was a massive fluctuation in form from one game to the next and the question it now raises is where exactly the Lions sit in the scheme of the season – and can they once again produce another upset against the Saints?
The big problem with that is they’ll have to do so without their best player Hugh Crighton, who will be missing for the rest of the season. Crighton was a huge presence for Hay and his absence will take away a lot of the Lions’ drive out of the centre of the ground, heaping more pressure on the likes of Kenneth Jubb, Brad Pocock and Tim Zambon.
Hay won’t be on their own in having key players absent, with Quambatook set to be without Nick Mason, Pras Sayakhot and Martin Angus tomorrow. Their loss will be offset by the returns of damaging half back Nick Birthisel and Brad Organ, as well as the possible addition of ruckman Michael Bradbury, who will face a fitness test to determine his availability.
The other big news to come out of Quamby this week is the imminent return of five-time club Best & Fairest Jack Baker, who will face the Lions in his first match of season 2022. Baker will only add to the Saints’ on-ball depth and will surely give Tim Free and Gregor Knight renewed confidence heading into the business end of the season.
While Hay have clearly shown they have the ability and capacity to produce an upset, especially at home, it’s hard to see them toppling the in-form Quambatook – particularly if Ash Murray can reproduce his best form in front of the big sticks two weeks in a row.
Tip – Quambatook to win by 30 points.
MOULAMEIN v MURRABIT
Moulamein will be out to return to the winners list and keep their top two hopes alive when they host a rejuvenated Murrabit this weekend.
Tomorrow’s match shapes as a real danger game for the Swans, with the Blues likely to be full of confidence following the 102-point smashing of Hay last Saturday. The Blues have been smashed by injuries throughout the first half of the season and were last week able to put perhaps their best team on the park – and the result was obvious for all to see.
That side is only likely to get better again, with Toby Gray a chance to return from injury to add more depth to the Blues midfield and join Marc O’Neill, Nathan O’Toole and new recruit Cameron Hall, who by all reports was sensational for Murrabit against the Lions.
While the Blues have undoubtedly improved since the start of the season, they will need to turn around a 36-point deficit from their earlier encounter with Moulamein back in round three. On that occasion the Blues were monstered by the Swans key forwards, with Andrew Silva booting six and Josh Flight five goals in powerful forward half display.
The good thing for Murrabit is that neither player is likely to be a factor tomorrow, with Flight still having one-week left on his suspension three match still to serve – and Silva having been left out of the Moulamein line-up during their 27-point loss to Wandella last weekend and is no guarantee to return.
That would see a large portion of the goal-scoring responsibilities left to Beau Duggan-Hulands and Luke Smailes. Like most country football matches, this game will be settled out of the middle and which midfield can get their hands on the ball first. Moulamein have plenty of depth through the middle and are well-led by Daniel Aarsman, Morgan Turvey, Mason Bailey, Luke Shannon and the in-form Ely Miller – but the question is whether they can match the high-end class of O’Neill, O’Toole, Hall and Tom Copland.
Based on current form, tomorrow’s game promises to be a classic encounter which should almost go down to the last kick of the day, with an upset potentially on the cards.
Tip – Murrabit to win by 1 point.
