WANDELLA v MACORNA
WANDELLA will host Macorna in the NAIDOC Round feature game in the Golden Rivers tomorrow afternoon, with the finals aspirations of both teams well and truly on the line.
Macorna (5th) currently find themselves one game and percentage behind Wandella (4th) and facing what essentially amounts to an elimination final, with a loss to the Bombers effectively shutting the door on the top four with five rounds remaining in the home-and-away season.
A hard-fought and heavily contested game is almost guaranteed tomorrow with both clubs effectively playing for their seasons. Despite being below their opposition on the ladder, it will be the Tigers who’ll enter the match with the stronger form line, having won three of their last four games.
Troy Parker has made a big impact up forward in his two games in yellow and black and perfectly complements a strong forward line for Macorna that possesses multiple threats, including Josh Walters, Lachie Ritchie, small forward Chris Wilson and coach Jaydon Stiles.
The Tigers forward line is likely to stretch the Bombers’ key defensive stocks, even with club legends Tim Robinson and Ryan Lancaster in-form and dominating down back so far throughout the opening 10 rounds of the season.
The midfield battle is where it’s likely to be won and lost however, especially with Dillan Treacy’s sensational form since returning from an ACL injury. Treacy has added another quality rotation to Wandella’s midfield and has settled in perfectly alongside Mitch Collins, Kane Timmins, Russell Rich and Darren Rushton.
The challenge for Macorna will be to get their hands on the ball out of the middle and nullify the influence of the Bombers’ engine room, especially around the stoppages. Malcolm Neiwand is a class act and will tear Wandella to pieces if allowed to run free – but the Bombers’ brains trust will also have to pay close attention to the in-form Shaun Haffenden, Josh Berryman and young gun Toby Whinfield, who can all turn a game off their own boot.
With the game to be played on the Bombers’ home patch – and with the inclusions of Corey Walters and Mitch Treacy into their line-up – it looks as if it’s Wandella’s game to lose.
Tip – Wandella to win by 10 points.
QUAMBATOOK v MOULAMEIN
THE other big game with major finals ramifications this weekend will be at the home of the Saints, with second-placed Quambatook to host third-placed Moulamein.
This game will have just as much at stake for both clubs as the previous game – with a Saints victory likely to close the door on the top two and seal themselves a second semi-final berth at their own home ground.
Moulamein on the other hand will be desperate to avoid that scenario and atone for their 47-point round 4 loss to the Saints in the process. An 11 goal to three second half onslaught proved to be the Swans’ downfall on that occasion – especially a disastrous third quarter, with Moulamein registering 1.6 to shoot themselves in the foot.
Jordan Lampi and Ricky Wild both dominated through the midfield for Quambatook that day and will surely have closer attention paid to them by the Swans’ on-ball brigade this time around.
Key forward Josh Flight will return from his three-game suspension and should help provide assistance to Beau Duggan-Hulands, who’s kicked 16 goals from his past four games as a key forward. Jarred Schlitz should get the job on Flight after keeping him to just one solitary goal in round 4, while it’s expected that Ash Davis will get the job on Duggan-Hulands.
While Flight will be a big addition to the Swans’ line-up, Quambatook will also be buoyed by the return of a number of key players, with Michael Bradbury, Pras Sayakhot, Chris Kendall, Luke Parker, Martin Angus and Nick Mason all expected to return from injury and illness following last Saturday’s week off.
Moulamein’s midfield has been in good touch of late and it’s in that area of the ground where they will be hoping to have the advantage over Quamby – especially with Rodney Reeves, Ely Miller, Corey Farrell and Luke Shannon set to be well serviced by ruckman Heath Moloney around stoppages.
With that said, the Saints on-ball division matches up well on Moulamein’s midfield and will back themselves in to win the contested ball, as well as hurt them on with their outside run and ability to break the lines. With that in mind, it looks like being Quamby’s game to lose.
Tip – Quambatook to win by 20 points.
MURRABIT v NULLAWIL
WHILE Murrabit may have found form over the past two rounds, tomorrow will be a completely new challenge as they host the ladder leading Nullawil.
The Blues have had two strong results in from their past two games, with a 15-point loss to finals-bound Moulamein coming on the back of a 102-point thrashing of Hay in round 9.
While a win may be out of the question, the real guide to Murrabit’s improvement will come from their last outing against the Maroons – which ended with a 187-point hiding. It’s unlikely that lightning will strike twice to that extent however, especially with the Blues having close to their full-strength team available this time around.
The addition of midfielders Cameron Hall and Dustin Blake has coincided with the Blues’ rise in form in recent weeks, along with the return of Brody Green, with all three adding some polish to Murrabit’s on-ball division and providing Marc O’Neill and Nathan O’Toole with some help out of the middle of the ground.
It’s an area where they will need plenty of help, too, matched against the all-conquering Nullawil – especially with the class and quality they have at their disposal. Reigning EG Hunt Medallist Matt Quigley has continued on from where he left off last season, while Daniel Watts, Zac Kelly and Dylan Joyce have been in sensational form over recent weeks as well.
As good as the quartet have been this season, it’s Jordan Humphreys who has really stood out, with the half back-midfielder taking his game to another level. Humphreys has dominated in almost every game this season and is surely leading Nullawil’s best and fairest at this stage of the season – while the return of Jonathan Casey will only serve to add further depth to the Maroons’ midfield brigade.
Tip – Nullawil to win by 80 points.
ULTIMA v HAY
ULTIMA will host Hay in the final game of NAIDOC Round, with the battle of the cellar dwellers likely to decide this year’s wooden spooner.
It was the Lions who got the points when the two teams last clashed in round 4, with the 53-point victory set up in a first-half onslaught that saw Hay pile on seven goals to three before the main break. Hugh Crighton dominated that day for the Lions, with his elite ball use a feature – but will be absent this time around in a major boost for the Roos.
While Crighton’s absence will hurt Hay’s chances, they won’t be the only side without their best player tomorrow, with gun Ultima midfielder Mitch Seton-Stewart set to miss the remainder of the 2022 season with a knee injury. Seton-Stewart will leave a massive hole in the Roos’ engine room that will now need to be covered by the likes of Jack Delmenico, Darcy Farrell and Sean O’Reilly – and although all three have been in strong form of late, none of them possess the class or ball-winning ability of Seton-Stewart.
While Ultima may be missing their number one on-baller, they will regain the services of Jacob Schaper and full-forward Ryan Devereux – with both players set to add some much-needed potency to the Roos’ forward half.
For the visitors, they will be relying on their in-form combination of Dean Aylett, Kenneth Jubb and James Eddy to get their hands on the ball, as well as their midfielders to get first use and give the experienced Simon Bunyan plenty of supply deep in attack.
While Hay may have got the job done last time around, tomorrow’s game should be much closer – and on their own ground, the scales are tipped ever so slightly in the Roos’ favour.
Tip – Ultima to win by 6 points.
