WITH each team holding a 1-1 win-loss record to start the new season, tomorrow’s contest between finals aspirants Woorinen and Cohuna has quickly turned into a must-win match for both sides.
The first two rounds of the 2024 season having provided plenty of upsets, early wins will be at a premium, with a finals berth likely to be decided by wins against clubs who are also in the September race.
It’s why tomorrow’s match between the Tigers and Kangas takes on such importance as the winners will find themselves in the top five while the loser will be back in the chasing pack.
Trying to get a read on the form of the two sides is also difficult, with both clubs having suffered one disappointing loss and one commanding win against weaker opposition in the lead-up to tomorrow.
Woorinen were thoroughly outplayed by NNW United last Saturday but their coach Marcus Demaria says he is expecting a much-improved performance from his players tomorrow, especially in the midfield, which is where the match will likely be decided.
“Nyah smashed us in the midfield last week,” Demaria said.
“They controlled the play for the majority of the game with the exception of about a five-minute period in the second quarter.
“Centre clearances are so important and if we can get the ball in quick, even if it’s dirty ball into our front half, then we can be damaging.
“Last week, with the exception of Jye Barry we had quite a few passengers so we’ll be focusing pretty heavily on getting our hands on the ball first.
“We want to give our forwards first use and win the ball out of the middle and if we don’t score from those forward entries it will then at least give us the opportunity to press up and hold the ball in our front half.”
While Woorinen’s midfield battled to contain the Demons’ fleet of runners, they won’t get it easier tomorrow against a Cohuna engine room that is full of talent, with Joel Helman, Jarrod Findlay and Sam Mcglone.
The Tigers are expected to welcome Josh Stone and Adam Saunders back into their line-up tomorro, but will be without Tom Langford, while the Kangas will lose Daniel Coates (hamstring) and Chris Anderson (hand) from the team that defeated the Raiders by 70 points last Saturday.
The pair will join a growing injury list for the Kangas, who are already without Jackson Williams, Jacob Mitchell and Cooper Mcloughlin.
The loss of Anderson couldn’t have come at a worse time for Cohuna coach Jack Geary either, with his team now set to face Arnold Kirby without their number one big man.
“We’ll need to find someone to step into the ruck but we’ve got some big boys in the side and we’ll just look to share the workload,” Geary told The Guardian this week.
“It will probably be a combination of ‘Dyl’ (Dylan Johnstone) and Sam Leitch, and while we might be weakening our other lines, I think that’s what we’ll have to do to help us win it out of the middle.”
The absence of Anderson could well swing the midfield battle in Woorinen’s favour but it’s across the half-back lines where the game could well be decided, with both teams generating a lot of run and drive from there.
The Kangas need to get the ball into the hands of Geary and Brenton Conforti as often as possible, and it’s a similar story for Woorinen, with Henry Thompson, Taylor Cameron and Doug Beames having all started the new season in form.
With Woorinen’s ability to defend their home ground well known, it’s the Tigers who will go in as slight favourites – although if they perform as they did seven days ago against the Demons, they will go home empty-handed.
Tip – Woorinen to win by nine points.
