COHUNA v NNW UNITED
REIGNING premiers Nyah-Nyah West United will bring three key players back into their line-up for their must-win match against the Cohuna Kangas Saturday afternoon.
Having started with just one win from their first three matches, the Demons find themselves under pressure to correct their slide in form against a desperate and hungry Cohuna outfit that will be aiming to continue their unbeaten start to the season.
Ethan Saville (suspension) and Blake Larkings (illness) will return for Saturday’s clash, along with key forward Alex Birch, who will play his first match in the red the blue.
Birch will be a welcome addition to the Demons line-up, who have been screaming out for a key marking target in their forward half of the ground in recent weeks.
The return of Saville will give NNW United a boost around the contest, with the Demons onballers being beaten up in the middle in losses to Woorinen and Koondrook-Barham.
But if they thought the return of Saville and Larkings was going to make their task any easier then they haven’t picked the right opponent, with Cohuna possessing undoubtedly the most talented midfield in the league with match winners Tom Toma, Ricky Monti, Jackson Williams, Joel Helman and Jack Geary all running through the on-ball rotations.
With the depth of talent in the Kangas midfield, it might be time for the Demons to turn to a left field idea to match it with them – throw Joel Walsh onto the ball.
Tip – Cohuna to win by 18 points.
KOONDROOK-BARHAM v KERANG
KOONDROOK-Barham will go in as favourites to beat rivals Kerang Saturday despite having not defeated the Blues since 2019.
Although the Raiders currently find themselves inside the top five, Saturday’s match against the Blues presents as a danger game for the home side, with Kerang far from the team that was expected to drastically fall away as many pundits suggested.
The Blues were impressive in defeating Swan Hill last Saturday, and although the level of competition will be much higher on Saturday, it was their organisation behind the ball combined with their willingness to run and take the game on when in possession that was most impressive.
Kerang will also unveil new recruit Zak Bozanich against the Raiders, a full-forward who kicked 33 goals for Springbank in the Central Highlands FL last season, while Tyson Clingan is expected to play his first match of 2025.
For Koondrook-Barham, they will be without Jack Thomas (ankle) and Ethan Reeves for Saturday’s clash, with Isaac Corvo and Jack Thrum returning.
The big challenge for Kerang will be to restrict the influence of the Raiders three key forwards Kye Attwell, Ryan Bassett and Kyall Parker, especially with a lack of key defenders in their team.
Josh Hunter looms as the logical match up for Attwell, while Archer Dibsdale should be able to compete against Bassett, but that still leaves the athletic Parker as a problem for the Blues, with Tom Hetherington likely to have to play as a tall in defence.
Tip -Koondrook-Barham to win by 20 points.
SWAN HILL v LAKE BOGA
SWAN Hill will be aiming to break through for their first win of the season when they host Lake Boga at the Swan Hill Recreation Reserve Saturday afternoon.
The Swans are yet to taste victory in 2025 from three attempts, while Lake Boga sit seventh on the ladder with a one win, one loss record from two matches.
There’s little doubt that both clubs are in the midst of rebuilding their list, with an investment in youth expected to pay off within the next few seasons for either side.
But for now, it means games like Saturday’s become the perfect opportunity to give their young squads some reward for effort with a win over the other.
An immediate area of improvement for both clubs needs to come with their ability to maintain possession, with both the Swans and the Magpies guilty of some ordinary turnovers.
It was a problem for Swan Hill in their loss to Kerang last weekend, along with their lack of a key target inside their forward 50.
That should be no such problem for Lake Boga, with Rex Hickman and Jayden Lonergan providing their Magpies teammates with a solid target to kick too.
Swan Hill will welcome Matthew Pearse back into their line-up, who could either play forward and give them that option, or release ruckman Perry Roberts to go forward.
Tip – Lake Boga to win by 15 points.
BALRANALD v TYNTYNDER
AFTER two weeks to mull over their disastrous encounter with Cohuna, Balranald are expected to come out breathing fire when they host Tyntynder at Greenham Park Saturday afternoon.
Both teams go into the match without a win this season, with the Roos suffering the indignity of failing to kick a goal during their last match against the Kangas prior to the Easter break.
The Bulldogs on the other hand haven’t fared much better, with an average losing margin of 53 points in losses to Cohuna, Woorinen and Koondrook-Barham.
The one saving grace for Tyntynder is that all three games have come against teams currently occupying a place within the top five, along with the fact that they have at times been competitive in those losses for a period of time.
The Roos will welcome two new faces to their squad for Saturday’s match, Tanner Coulthard and Daniel Harris coming into their line-up, along with Bradley Hartman, who will need to have passed an overnight fitness test to be declared fit.
Tyntynder on the other hand will go with a largely unchanged squad, with their consistency expected to pay off come the final siren.
Tip – Tyntynder to win by five points.
