THE Cohuna Kangas will be out to end Woorinen’s five-game winning streak when they hit the road tomorrow.
In fourth spot, having finally separated themselves from the logjam battling for fifth spot, it would be an important four points for the Kangas.
Similarly, the second-placed Tigers, with a two-win buffer over the visitors, have the opportunity to lock away a top-three finish and the all-important double chance.
Despite being favourites, Woorinen senior coach Marcus Demaria told The Guardian his side would leave nothing to chance.
“There don’t seem to be any easy games at the moment,” Demaria said.
“Every game is a tough game with the competition as close as it has been so far this season.
“Like every week, we’ll prepare the best we can and obviously Cohuna have hit a bit of form of late and have some dangerous footballers at their disposal, so we’ll need to be at our best.
“We want to prioritise our own game, but also nullify some of their prime movers and key forwards such as (Dylan) Johnstone and Rhys Free.”
Free will return after missing Cohuna’s 100-point win over Koondrook-Barham with concussion, while Christopher Anderson is another confirmed inclusion, setting up an intriguing battle against Lachlan Gardner in the ruck.
The Tigers were also set to make a change, with Tom Isma to be replaced by the returning Mitch Taylor.
It was all one-way traffic when the two sides clashed on Good Friday, the Tigers dominating from the first bounce in a shock 45-point victory.
The Kangas kicked just three goals for the match as Woorinen’s midfield completely dominated around the stoppages.
With another 10 games under his side’s belt, Cohuna coach Tyson Findlay was quietly confident of a much-improved performance this time around.
“I think being round 1 for us and having a few new players, it was a bit of an eye-opener as to where we were at,” Findlay said.
“Since then, we’re playing a lot better footy just with our understanding of each other’s game and getting players back from injury – we’re in a better space.
“We’ll certainly go into Saturday’s game with a better understanding of our game plan than last time, and our game style I think suits the smaller grounds as well with our height up forward.
“If we can get the ball inside our forward 50 and win the midfield battle then that will go a long way to getting the four points – they hunted the footy a lot better than us, that’s what let us down last time.
“Having Jake and Nathan Hammond in the side will help too, as we can hopefully press up behind the footy and make it difficult for them to get their running game going.”
Jake Hammond will most likely return to defence, with both Free and Johnstone back in the forward half, as Brenton Conforti misses again with a hamstring strain.
The ever-reliable Joel Helman was another Kanga in great form in recent weeks, the onballer kicking five goals last Saturday against the Raiders after spending considerable time up forward.
Henry Thompson has been one of Woorinen’s most consistent footballers so far this season off half-back and will be one for Cohuna to keep an eye on, along with the strong midfield brigade of Jye Barry, Josh Domaille, Robbie Miller and Mitch Uhlhorn.
Demaria said: “When we’re playing at our best, our defence is our priority – if we have all aspects of our defence covered, our offence takes care of itself.
“You can do whatever you want on offence, but without a strong defensive plan, it won’t matter.
“If your defensive plan is strong and you’re able to win the ball back off the opposition constantly, then that gives you multiple looks at the goals and it always creates opportunities.
“Nothing really changes for us, our pressure’s the key.”
How Cohuna handle that pressure will likely be one of the deciding factors in the match, with Findlay expecting a tough battle out of the centre for his own midfield brigade.
“Their midfield with Barry, Domaille, Miller, they’re all just work horses and they work really well together and make you earn your possessions,” Findlay said.
“We just have to go with them in that department and if we can get enough inside-50s, then hopefully that gives us the opportunity to kick a winning score.”
Tip – Woorinen to win by 9 points.
KEY MATCH-UP
Jye Barry v Joel Helman
THERE’S no doubting that Helman is the Kangas’ most damaging player, especially out of the midfield, but the question is how do Woorinen try to nullify his influence?
Jye Barry, potentially Woorinen’s best onballer, has been going to his opposition’s premium midfielders in recent weeks and trying to not only shut them down, but work off them going the other way.
Helman’s ability to push forward and hit the scoreboard this season (14 goals) has added another string to his bow, but Barry can be equally adept at hurting his opponents forward of centre, making this one-on-one battle an intriguing watch.
THE BURNING QUESTION
Can Woorinen’s key defenders keep Cohuna’s forwards quiet?
ONE of the Kangas’ big strengths is their key forwards, with Rhys Free and Dylan Johnstone creating headaches for any opposition at their best.
So far in 2023, we haven’t seen their best on a consistent basis, but that’s not to say they won’t turn it on.
With Ben Booth to get first crack at Free, and Mitch Taylor likely to take Johnstone, it could well be the Kangas who need to find other avenues, such as Daniel Coates or Joel Helman, in order to kick a winning score.
