CENTRAL MURRAY FOOTBALL NETBALL LEAGUE
PRELIMINARY FINAL SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10
COHUNA RECREATION RESERVE
2.30PM KERANG v WOORINEN
KERANG KEY PLAYER
Michael Dalrymple – The key defender has been a mainstay of the Blues’ defence and has arguably been the Central Murray’s premier defender this season. Marshals Kerang’s defensive half of the ground, which is one of their big strengths and will need to do so again tomorrow. Can’t allow Lachie Gardner to control the air like he did when the two teams met back in Round 13.
THE BURNING QUESTION
Are the banged-up Blues vulnerable?
Potentially, yes. At their best, I still feel Kerang are the best side in it, but with injury clouds hanging over a number of their stars, along with the likes of Bradlee Pay and Caleb Nitschke ruled out, the Blues are definitely vulnerable. It will still take a massive game from Woorinen to cause an upset – however, if any club has the blueprint to knock Kerang out in straight sets, it’s Woorinen.
WOORINENKEY PLAYER
Arnold Kirby – We all saw what happened last week when Ben Archard dominated the ruck in the absence of Troy Davis – which goes to show just how important the equally damaging Kirby could be tomorrow. While Davis is expected to return, Kirby is both fit and in form – and could well be ready to tear tomorrow’s Preliminary Final apart.
THE BURNING QUESTION
Will the wide-open spaces of the Cohuna Rec. Reserve negate Woorinen’s pressure game?
One of the big reasons why the Tigers were able to shock Kerang in Round 13 was their pressure game, with the Tigers relentless attack forcing the Blues to consistently turn the ball over. While Riverside Park is also a sizeable oval, its no match for Cohuna’s wide-open spaces, which will likely make it much tougher for Woorinen to force the issue like last time. When the Tigers played here in Round 17 against the Kangas, their pressure rating dropped – which could be cause for concern for the yellow and black army.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Have met twice already this season, for one win each. Woorinen took home bragging rights when they last met, handing Kerang their first defeat of the season in an upset result, with a 38-point win in Round 13. Kerang on the other hand claimed victory back in Round 3 this season, defeating the Tigers by 68-points at Tigerland.
KEY MATCH-UP
Bryce Curnow v Ben BoothWith the Blues holding a significant advantage in the midfield with their on-ball depth tomorrow, it’s expected that Curnow should get a lot more looks at the footy than he did last weekend. The Blues full-forward had a day to forget last Saturday after being held goalless – and his job won’t get any easier tomorrow faced up against Woorinen stopper Ben Booth. Although Curnow didn’t play when the two teams last met, Booth was still best on ground that day, with both players looming as crucial components to the chances of their respective team’s success tomorrow.
MATCH PREVIEW
Kerang and Woorinen will resume their rivalry tomorrow afternoon for the right to play Cohuna in this year’s Central Murray grand final.
Both teams have suffered losses to the Kangas so far this finals series, with an inaccurate Kerang ambushed by a hungrier Cohuna outfit last Saturday. The Blues blew their chances seven days ago, kicking a wasteful four goals, 13 behinds to eventually go down by 21 points. While their inaccuracy in front of goal was a contributing factor in the loss, what would have worried the Blues brains trust would have been their inability to get either their running game going, or their usually pinpoint accurate passing game up and running.
Woorinen will no doubt be looking to emulate that feat tomorrow in order to stifle the Blues’ fluent ball movement – particularly off half-back through the likes of Lachlan Ross and Jesse Clark. Clark suffered a heavy hit last week against the Kangas and although he spent the majority of the last quarter on the bench, has reportedly been passed fit to take his place in Kerang’s line-up tomorrow.
Kerang will be forced into at least one change however, with Caleb Nitschke out for the rest of the season with a shoulder injury that he sustained during the third quarter of last Saturday’s loss. It’s a disappointing end to the young forward’s promising season and will only heap more pressure on Bryce Curnow and Michael Runciman as the Blues main forward targets. The news isn’t all bad for Kerang. Both Sam Heavyside and Troy Davis are set to return after injury lay-offs.
Davis will be a massive inclusion for the Blues after last weekend, with youngster Samuel Nitschke no match for either Ben Archard or Christopher Anderson last Saturday. The Kangas pair dominated both around the ground and at the stoppages against Nitschke and with the reliable Davis back in the team, the Blues will no doubt be keen to avoid a repeat tomorrow against Arnold Kirby.
Woorinen have their own selection dramas, with attacking half-back Taylor Cameron ruled out for the rest of the season with a broken jaw. Cameron’s run and carry will be sorely missed by the Tigers, who were already without Angus Butterfield who plays a similar role. Woorinen may have a couple of big inclusions as well, particularly to their forward line, with Lachie Wright, Adam Saunders and Clayton McCartney all a chance to return providing they passed their fitness tests overnight (Thursday).
If the trio were to return for the Tigers, that would possibly free up Patrick Veszpremi to play more midfield minutes and help bolster Woorinen’s on-ball division in the face of what is still the best midfield in the competition. The middle is likely to be an area of concern for the Tigers, especially with their second and third string onballers matched up against the class and talent of their opposition.
Kerang have upwards of nine first class midfielders that can rotate through the centre – and even though a number of them were coming off long-term injuries and clearly needed the run last Saturday, it’s expected that they’ll be in a much better position to impact the game tomorrow. Woorinen on the other hand rely heavily on their two prime movers in Jye Barry and Josh Domaille – who have both had sensational seasons. The problem is if the Blues decide to sit on one of them, it will likely remove Woorinen’s ability to break even around the stoppages.
At the end of the day though, finals football is a simple game that often comes down to which team is prepared to put their head over the footy and win the contested ball. That is clearly a strength of Woorinen’s and was a game plan they used to great effect back in their Round 13 win over the Blues. And while it would be easy to suggest the Tigers just enact the same game plan, it will likely be a much harder task this time around on the bigger and more spacious Cohuna Rec. Reserve.
With a spot in the grand final on the line, it’s a lead pipe lock that both clubs will throw absolutely everything at the other in order to get the job done. And while the midfield battle will likely decide the outcome of this year’s Preliminary Final, with very little separating the two sides, it could be more about which team settles first that eventually comes out on top. Tip – Kerang to win by 10 points.
