WOORINEN v TYNTYNDER
After securing their spot in the years finals series, Tyntynder will be out to claim another big scalp when they face off against the in-form Woorinen tomorrow afternoon.
Both teams will bring white-hot form into the game, with the Tigers having won their past ten matches and the Bulldogs in the midst of a five-game winning streak, which includes their eight-point win over the Cohuna Kangas in Round 11.
Tyntynder earned the win that day on the strtength of their attack on the ball and pressure around the contest – and if they want to break Woorinen’s winning streak, will need to bring a similar level of intensity tomorrow.
Woorinen have had a similar modus operandi in recent weeks, employing a highly effective pressure-based game plan, which will no doubt serve them well ahead of the finals in a few weeks’ time. What has perhaps made this game plan more effective has been the form of the midfield, with Josh Domaille, Jye Barry and Robbie Miller all impacting games, both with and without the ball.
The midfield battle is likely to be where this match is decided, especially with Arnold Kirby and Elia Ware set to do battle in the ruck. Both are mobile ruckmen who like to put their stamp on the match around the ground and will likely have a big say in proceedings again tomorrow.
Ben Booth will return for the Tigers after missing last Saturday’s win over Lake Boga, with the key defender the most obvious choice to take on the powerful Jason Eagle. The Dogs full forward has been in incredible form of late, with 12-goal hauls against both Swan Hill and Tooleybuc-Manangatang further evidence of his importance to the Tyntynder forward structure.
Woorinen will also welcome back Taylor Cameron to their line-up, while the Doggies will regain Brock Storer up forward, but lose Solomon McKay to Bendigo Pioneer duties.
While the home side deserve to go in as favourites, Tyntynder have been playing a good brand of footy – and an upset wouldn’t surprise.
Tip – Woorinen to win by 10 points.
KERANG v LAKE BOGA
Kerang will be looking for win number thirteen when they host Lake Boga at Riverside Park this weekend.
The Magpies will also be desperate for the four points after last Saturday’s capitulation at the hands of Woorinen, with the visitors knowing that an upset win tomorrow would most likely secure a finals berth – and shut the door on the top five.
In order to achieve that feat, they will have to turn around a 110-point deficit after the Blues monstered them back in Round 6 this season. Kerang had 13 separate goalkickers contribute to their 19-goal tally that day, while Lake Boga could only muster four goals for the 120 minutes without their spearhead Angus Monfries.
Worryingly, the Magpies will likely be without their leading goal kicker again tomorrow, with Monfries having missed last Saturday’s match with a hamstring injury. His absence will heap more pressure on Lake Boga’s forward structure, which was severely exposed against the Tigers, who rebounded countless forward entries, with the Magpies lacking a strong marking target inside their attacking fifty.
With that said, Lake Boga’s midfield did a relatively good job to break even with Woorinen’s on-ballers, with Josh Cruse-Filo, Nathaniel Holmes-Brown and Dustin Burns all solid contributors, along with Jacob Simpson in the ruck. As good as their first-string midfield was though, they will face a far sterner test tomorrow against the league’s premier engine room.
The Magpies will also be without Jarrod Taylor, who strained a quad last Saturday – while Ryan Fox (shoulder) and Xavier Sherlock (calf) will also be in doubt after last week’s game. For Kerang, their injury list will get a little shorter tomorrow, with the return of Caleb Nitschke and the possible inclusions of Rylee Smith (hamstring) and Josh Hann (hamstring) pending overnight fitness tests.
With Marty Kelly, Brad Pay and Jesse Clark all in form and Bryce Curnow back wearing the navy blue, Kerang would appear to be far too strong for the undermanned Magpies.
Tip – Kerang to win by 60 points.
SWAN HILL v BALRANALD
Balranald will be faced with yet another must-win game this weekend – this time against a struggling Swan Hill.
The Roos got out of jail last Saturday against lowly Koondrook-Barham, with a five-goal final quarter giving them a 27-point win and keeping their finals hopes alive for another week. While the Raiders have steadily improved under new coach Darren Troy, they aren’t yet a finals standard team – and while Swan Hill aren’t either, Balranald can ill afford a repeat of last weekend.
The big challenge the Swans face is actually putting a competitive score on the board, having averaged just six-and-a-half goals a game over the last month – which includes their 2.3.15 score line from last Saturday’s thumping by Cohuna. Unfortunately for Swan Hill, they will most likely be without the man who kicked both of those goals against the Kangas – Kallen Heslop – who reportedly injured his hand during the week and is unlikely to take his place in the team.
It’s not all bad news for the home side, who will be hoping to get experienced midfielder Luke Phelan back for just his third game this season to help provide midfield depth. Balranald will also have some selection dramas ahead of tomorrow’s match, with Josh Hodgson and Tom Salau both expected to be missing for the Roos.
The absence of Salau will be a welcome relief to the home side, with the young midfielder proving to be a handful when the two clubs met back in Round 6 this season, with Balranald recording a 32-point victory on that occasion. Jydon Neagle was another who starred that day for the Roos and will once again be a key player to his side’s chances tomorrow, along with Colin Andrews, Drew Lloyd and Ben Fuller.
While they may be playing for pride, I’m certain Swan Hill would love nothing more than to throw a spanner in the works of the Roos’ finals dreams – but they’ll need to be at their very best to do it.
Tip – Balranald to win by 18 points.
NNW UNITED v COHUNA KANGAS
Fresh off the bye, Nyah-Nyah West United will host to the Cohuna Kangas tomorrow and the Demons are intent on avoiding a repeat performance against one of the premiership fancies.
The Kangas handed United a 152-point hiding when the two teams last met back in Round 6, with Rhys Free running rampant with a nine-goal haul and both Sam Conforti and Tom Toma dominating out of the middle. Sadly for Cohuna supporters, Free will most likely be the only one of the three to be out there this time around – with Toma still absent with a hamstring tear and Conforti on VFL duties with Essendon.
The Demons will still face a significant challenge, with the Kangas possessing a high-quality midfield containing a number of game breakers – including Joel Helman, Jarrod Findlay, Oscar Cooke and Daniel Coates.
Ben Archard has been playing somewhat of a lone hand in the ruck in recent weeks and while he’s been a tower of strength in the middle, the potential return of Christopher Anderson would be a welcome sight tomorrow.
Likewise for the Demons would be the return of key defender Cal Dobbin, who has already this season played some big roles in restricting Bryce Curnow and Sam Dunstan and will potentially take one of Free or Dylan Johnstone tomorrow. Dobbin won’t be the only Demon back for the home side, with Campbell Everitt back after missing United’s 25-point loss to Lake Boga a fortnight ago – although they will be without Dylan Mclachlan and Matt Duffy.
After a big week away, NNW United will also be hoping for a big game from coach Corey Daniels, along with fellow midfielders Brady Davidson and Jaydyn Stirling in order to combat the run and drive from their opposition on-ballers.
The key for the Demons will be matching it around the stoppages with their rivals and not allowing them the smooth and easy take-aways that they enjoy. If they can lock the game down and turn it into a scrap, then the scoreboard should read a lot more favourably than last time.
Tip – Cohuna Kangas to win by 48 points.
KOONDROOK-BARHAM v TOOLEYBUC-MANANGATANG
While it may not be the most anticipated clash of the season, it could well be one of the fiercest as both Koondrook-Barham and Tooleybuc-Manangatang lock horns tomorrow to see who will avoid the dreaded wooden spoon.
The Saints currently find themselves two points clear of the Raiders on the ladder, with tomorrow’s match set to be the most winnable one for both clubs for the remainder of 2022.
Koondrook-Barham put in a far better performance against Balranald last Saturday and despite still going down by 27 points, were still in the game right up until midway through the final quarter. The Raiders intent and attack on the ball was first rate and it’s that level of intensity that they will need to replicate if they are to win the four points.
Koondrook-Barham’s key position players have been starring in recent weeks, with Reagan Hamilton in defence, Owen Uaongo in the ruck and Max Baldissera with two goals up forward last week all regularly among their team’s better players. Where the improvement needs to come from is through the engine room – particularly the Raiders’ second and third string midfielders – to offer more support to Jordan Iudica and Jack Shannon, who have battled hard all season.
Tooleybuc-Manangatang will be buoyed by the returns of Zac Nicholls, Ben Arentz, Shylo Smith and Johnathan Marsden from injury to bolster the Saints midfield and defence. Smith will be a massive inclusion with his ball use and footy smarts a potential game changer for his side.
The player the home side must find a way to stop however is Alex Powell, with the Tooleybuc-Manangatang ruckman almost unstoppable at his best. His athleticism is unmatched, as his marking ability around the ground and his ability to push forward no doubt set to cause the Raiders coaching staff considerable headaches throughout the day.
In what is a genuine toss of the coin job to find a winner, I’m going to back in the Saints – with Alex Powell to be the difference.
Tip – Tooleybuc-Manangatang to win by 2 points.
