BALRANALD v SWAN HILL
BALRANALD will return to Greenham Park having suffered their first loss of the season last weekend – and if they aren’t careful, Swan Hill could well inflict defeat No.2.
Not only do the Swans have fresh legs after a week off, but they are a team on the rise with three straight wins against decent opposition.
The Roos will be a step up in class however, especially with Zach Mihocek, Angus Monk and Sonny Beasy all missing from the team that defeated Cohuna by 51 points a fortnight ago.
One factor that will be in the visitors’ favour is the potential absence of Roos key forward Ben Fuller, who left the ground with injury last Saturday and must be in some doubt.
Fuller will be huge loss if he doesn’t play, prompting a need to find other avenues to kick a winning score, with Jydon Neagle likely to play as a more permanent forward in that case.
While Neagle would do a great job, along with Drew Lloyd, it would be a big loss to Balranald’s ball-winning capabilities through the midfield.
The Roos do have plenty of depth, but they won’t face any easy time of it against the experienced Swan Hill engine room of Matthew Wade, Brandon Houlihan, Luke Phelan and Jose Miliado.
While the Swans have both the experience and class to trouble the Roos, at home they are still a three goal better side and, after tasting defeat for the first time last weekend, will be out to make a statement of their own.
Tip – Balranald to win by 12 points.
TYNTYNDER v TOOLEYBUC-MANANGATANG
BOTH Tyntynder and Tooleybuc-Manangatang’s finals hopes will be on the line when the two teams meet at the Alan Garden Reserve.
With just one win from five matches for both, it’s fair to say there will be no coming back for the loser, setting up a must-win battle between two teams who have shown patches of what they’re capable of this season.
The problem for both sides is a lack of consistency – how else can you explain Tyntynder losing to Lake Boga by 49 points one week, and then nearly shocking the competition by beating Kerang the next?
The Dogs have a side capable of pushing for a top-five berth at their best – but therein lies the issue, they just haven’t been able to get their best side on the park often enough.
Following the trend, they are set to regain the services of Brock Storer, Tyrone Bean, Liam Whelan and Matt Corney, but will lose Elia Ware, Cayden Crowe and Zac Denham.
Tooleybuc-Manangatang also have their injury concerns, with Blake Grant and Johnathan Marsden both out, along with Mitch Grant, who injured his knee during the 22-point loss to Cohuna last Saturday and is expected to miss the rest of the season.
While a competitive game is almost guaranteed, the most interesting element could well be the development of an old fashioned full-forward shootout – with Bulldog Jason Eagle and Saint Josh Williams likely to take some stopping as the focal points up forward.
Tip – Tyntynder to win by eight points.
COHUNA KANGAS v MALLEE EAGLES
WHILE their form has been up and down so far in 2023, the Cohuna Kangas have an excellent chance to break back into the top five against the Mallee Eagles.
Victory could see the Kangas rise to as high as fourth, but with the form they’ve been showing over the opening six rounds of the season, you couldn’t possibly tip them to win with any great confidence.
The one big positive, however, is the expected return of Jake Hammond, along with Anthony Fagan, with the Kangas having desperately missed their key defender’s intercept marking.
Hammond was a breath of fresh air last season and had an immediate positive impact on the way they were able to transition the football from defence to attack.
The Eagles will also have a couple of key inclusions to their line-up, with Ayden Tessari and Matthew Despott both expected to pull on the blue and gold.
While they will help strengthen the defence, it’s the midfield that should be of concern for the visitors.
The Mallee Eagles were completely smashed out of the middle against the Demons last Saturday and while they have plenty of talent, with Harry Allen, Darcy McGregor and Brent Macleod all capable of impacting a game through the centre, they can’t be expected to do it on their own.
That’s especially true against a Cohuna outfit that will have Joel Helman, Sam McGlone, Jarrod Findlay, Luke Conca and Dan Paterson running the other way.
Tip – Cohuna Kangas to win by 24 points.
KOONDROOK-BARHAM v LAKE BOGA
LAKE Boga will be desperate to end their two-game losing streak when they travel to Barham to face the Raiders.
The Magpies find themselves back in the pack, with their 3-3 record dropping them to seventh, but separated by percentage only from NNW United in fourth.
Their weak percentage could receive a shot in the arm against Koondrook-Barham, who have quickly become the soft kill of the Central Murray this season.
That’s not to say the Raiders aren’t on the right path – they are – they are just coming from a long way back and still have a way to go.
While it’s hard to get too enthusiastic about a side averaging fewer than 30 points per game, yet conceding on average 130 points, they are at least getting valuable game time into some of their kids.
With the return of best and fairest Jack Shannon imminent, better times may well be around the corner for the Raiders – although it’s unlikely to be this week, even with Matt Taverna (shoulder), Cameron Johnson (shoulder) and Brady Hogan (elbow) all missing from Lake Boga’s line-up.
Tip – Lake Boga to win by 36 points.
