TYNTYNDER v TOOLEYBUC-MANANGATANG
TYNTYNDER will unveil mid-season recruits Jack Kirby and Nick Henderson in Saturday’s clash with Tooleybuc-Manangatang at the Alan Garden Reserve.
Kirby comes to the kennel from Irymple and Henderson from Sandhurst, with both players arriving as medium sized midfielder/forwards.
Although the Bulldogs finals hopes have long been extinguished, Saturday has quickly become a must-win game for the sixth placed Saints, who are now two games behind Koondrook-Barham and NNW United in the battle for the top five.
Although Tooleybuc-Manangatang have had just one win from their past five matches, they appear to have turned a corner with their form after a solid performance against the reigning premiers last Saturday.
The Saints were terrific in the first half against the Demons and if it weren’t for their inaccuracy in front of goal after half-time, could have potentially stolen the win.
Their work around the contest and ability to get on top at the clearances was the key to their effort, with Connor Mcdonald, Sebastian Rogers, Blake Grant and Elliot Chalmers central to their performance, with the quartet, along with Josh Williams and Connor Nutting, expected to play key roles again on Saturday.
Tip – Tooleybuc-Manangatang to win by 21 points.
MALLEE EAGLES v KERANG
THE Mallee Eagles will be aiming to continue their unbeaten season on their own home patch when they host Kerang Saturday afternoon.
The Lalbert Rec. Reserve has proven to be a fortress for the Eagles this season, having won all four games at home by an average margin of 94 points.
With the home side going in with a largely unchanged line-up, they should also have the edge in the middle of the ground, with the Blues set to be without suspended ruckman Rylee Gitsham.
Although Kerang will come into the match refreshed after last round’s bye, the Eagles will go in hungry with the race for a top three spot set to heat up in the run to the finals.
Darcy Hourigan, Andrew Mead-Harding and Brent Macleod have been able to share the load up forward for the Eagles this season, with the trio kicking 76 goals between them across the first nine games.
Kerang on the other hand have relied heavily on Zak Bozanich to do the bulk of their work in front of the sticks with 19 goals this season.
With the Eagles averaging almost 120 points per game, the Blues will need to kick at least 15 goals to be a chance of causing an upset, with Bozanich and one of Ethan or Bohden McKnight all needing to hit the scoreboard.
Tip – Mallee Eagles to win by 48 points.
NNW UNITED v LAKE BOGA
NYAH-NYAH West United will go in as red-hot favourites to continue their winning streak when they host Lake Boga Saturday afternoon.
With the Demons having won their past five matches and the Magpies having lost five of the past six games, the form line certainly reads in favour of the reigning premiers.
NNW United will welcome back Alex Erlandson and Max Thompson, with Erlandson set to be the perfect replacement for Nick O’Neill, who will miss with a groin injury sustained early in last Saturday’s win over Tooleybuc-Manangatang.
Defender Rory Colville is set to be the only change for the Magpies, who will go in with a largely unchanged line-up from the team which suffered an 82-point loss to the Mallee Eagles last weekend.
The positive for Lake Boga is the final margin was far from a true reflection of how competitive they were, with the Magpies able to compete with the Eagles for large periods around the contest and through the midfield.
One player who was key to their performance was Braden Padmore, with the onballer among his teams better players all season.
For the Demons, the inclusion of Patrick Veszpremi looks to have transformed their forward line, with Alex Birch now playing as a lead up forward and Erlandson expected to slot in as a third tall in a now potent looking forward half.
Tip – NNW United to win by 50 points.
BALRANALD v SWAN HILL
COLIN Andrews and Jarryd Stead are expected to return to help bolster Balranald’s line-up ahead of their the all-important clash with Swan Hill on Saturday.
Although Saturday’s match will be the only game that won’t have a bearing on the make up of this years finals series, both the Roos and Swans are expected to attack Saturday’s contest with as much vigour as first playing second, with the vanquished set to become the favourites to claim this years wooden spoon.
Andrews and Stead will be important inclusions for the home side, with Andrews expected to play a key role up forward against a weakened Swan Hill defence.
The Swans will also welcome back several key inclusions with ruckman Perry Roberts joining Lachie Vrolijks, Bodhi Kelly, Bryson Gilbert and Connor Arif in returning for the visitors.
The bad news is they will be without Luke Phelan (hand), Jett Hinton (ankle) and Shannon Polglase (wrist), with Phelan the most important of the three omissions.
With the Roos having high class onballers Cody Henness, Roarke Smith, Tanner Coulthard and Ian Fuller at their disposal, the home side should prove too strong.
Tip – Balranald to win by 10 points.
