COHUNA v TOOLEYBUC-MANANGATANG
JACK Geary, William Lee and Brodie Fry are all in the frame to return for Cohuna ahead of their must-win match against Tooleybuc-Manangatang Saturday afternoon.
All three missed last Saturday’s dominant win over Lake Boga, with Geary missing the past month with a ankle injury.
His return will be a welcome addition for the Kangas, who have won their past two matches by an average margin of over 81 points.
It’s been a vastly different fortnight for the Saints however, who have lost their past two games to Woorinen and Koondrook-Barham and as a result have fallen from the top five.
While Cohuna is regarded as having one of the most talented midfields in the competition, it has been their defence which has proven the most challenging for opposition teams to overcome, with the Kangas conceding the least amount of points per game this season.
Hitting the scoreboard has been an issue for Tooleybuc-Manangatang in recent weeks without their leading goalkicker Connor Nutting, although Isaac Franks and Joel Munnich showed they can be dangerous in attack at times last week.
Having struggled to contain the Raiders’ running game on the wide open spaces of the Barham Recreation Reserve two weeks ago, it’s hard to see the Saints restricting the Kangas on their even bigger home ground. Tip – Cohuna to win by 25 points.
WOORINEN v SWAN HILL
AN injury ravaged Swan Hill will tackle the toughest task in Central Murray football on Saturday – beating Woorinen on their own home patch.
Lake Boga, the Mallee Eagles and Tyntynder have all tried and failed so far this season; in fact, the Tigers are yet to lose a game and are looking more and more like the team to beat for this year’s premiership with every game.
With the Swans already missing Michael Herlihy, Adam Manning and Sonny Beasy among others, they will now have to take on the unbeaten Tigers without Will Simpson (shoulder) and new recruit Jamie Church.
Simpson is a significant loss, with his ability to win the contested ball and pose a threat up forward likely to be impossible to replace.
Woorinen will also have a different look about them to last week’s team, with Ben Booth expected to be replaced by Tom Langford, while Kyle Skene is also a chance to make his long awaited debut in the yellow and black.
With Woorinen scoring more than 110 points per game on average and Swan Hill conceding a similar number, a percentage boosting win looms large for the yellow and black army on Saturday.
Tip – Woorinen to win by 70 points.
BALRANALD v LAKE BOGA
BOTH Balranald and Lake Boga will be aiming to bounce back from embarrassing losses last round when they clash up at Greenham Park on Saturday.
It’s been a barren few weeks having each lost their past three matches, but with a winnable game on the line, expect both clubs to throw everything at the other in order to take home the much-needed four points.
Midfielder/forward Lachlan Collihole will return for Balranald, with Roarke Smith set to be the only omission for the home side.
Lake Boga on the other hand will be without Nelson Ibbs, Darby Hayes and Dylan McCosh, with the trio all suffering injuries in last weekend’s 110-point loss to Cohuna.
The midfield will be where this game is likely to be won and lost, with the Roos top end such as Tanner Coulthard, Cody Henness and Ian Fuller capable of hurting any opposition on the outside.
The key for Lake Boga will lie in limiting their influence, especially Coulthard and Henness, who single-handedly kept Balranald in the contest during the first half against Kerang.
The Magpies have their dangerous ball winners in the middle with Braden Padmore and Nathaniel Holmes-Brown, but perhaps lack the depth around the ground to also contain the likes of Jack Salau and Ryan Middlebrook off half back.
Tip – Balranald to win by seven points.
TYNTYNDER v KERANG
THE return of Harry Simpson, Charlie Ford and Sam Tozer will have Tyntynder aiming to break their winless start to the season when the Bulldogs host Kerang Saturday afternoon.
The Bulldogs proved no match for the irrepressible Mallee Eagles last Saturday, with just three goals and seven scoring shots for the match seeing them suffer a 111-point defeat.
Although Saturday will be a much easier task than last weekend for the home side, they will still go in as significant underdogs with Kerang proving to be far from a spent force in 2025.
The Blues were impressive after half time against Balranald, with Zak Bozanich’s eight-goal haul lighting up the Riverside Park faithful.
Bozanich, along with Marty Kelly, Tyson Clingan and Flynn McKnight in the midfield, loom as the key players for Kerang, with first use out of the middle set to be a key focus for both teams.
Ford’s return will be a bonus for the Bulldogs, with Bailey Reeves, Darcy Bibby and ruckman Josh Potter needing to be at their best if Tyntynder are to cause an upset.
Tip – Kerang to win by eight points.
