THE finals hopes of both Wandella and Moulamein will go on the line on Saturday when the two clubs kick of round 10 in the Golden Rivers.
With just four points separating the Bombers (fourth) and Swans (fifth) on the ladder, a Wandella victory is likely to lock away the top four for the rest of the season, barring any upsets.
If form is any guide, Wandella should go in full of confidence after having pushed ladder leaders Hay all the way to the dying minutes of their match last Saturday, only to fall seven points short of an unlikely win.
Moulamein, on the other hand, were disappointing in a game they just had to win against Murrabit, with the Swans giving up six unanswered goals in the second term to get blown out of the water.
That defeat has left the Swans in no doubt as to what lies ahead, with no second chances available to them should they drop Saturday’s, game according to Moulamein co-coach Brodie Tonkin.
“We didn’t get the job done last Saturday against Murrabit and they played really good, but I think the biggest thing that let us down was our pressure or lack thereof,” Tonkin told The Guardian this week.
“That’s the one thing we have to fix coming into this week, is just our pressure.
“We were up in midfield clearances, which was good against Murrabit who are a strong contested team, but our pressure was really average, both in our forward and defensive 50s.
“We allowed them to pretty much walk it out of our forward half really easily and then at the other end, we weren’t able to rebound out of out of the 50 very well because of our forward defence and lack of pressure up the field.”
Moulamein will welcome back Brett Kennedy to their line-up for his second game after the former Kerang goal sneak suffered a serious corked thigh against Hay in round 1.
Kennedy will be a welcome addition to the Swans as their star signing this season, but his return comes at the expense of gun onballer Blake Launer.
Wandella will also have several inclusions to their line-up, with attacking half back Adam Ward and centre half forward Laing Waddingham all returning for the Bombers.
Wandella proved too strong for Moulamein earlier in the season, with the Bombers overrunning the Swans with seven of the last nine goals of their round 5 match to record a comfortable 49-point win.
Despite that result, Wandella coach Justin Robinson says his team won’t be taking Moulamein lightly this Saturday, with his team’s spot in the top four on the line.
“It’s an important game for us, we can’t afford to drop any more points because if we do then we’ll be battling for a finals spot, so we’re taking this game very seriously,” Robinson said.
“I think they (Moulamein) have picked up a few players since our last game earlier this year so we definitely won’t be taking them lightly.
“I’ve seen a couple of their scores from last few rounds and they knocked Ultima off, so they obviously have the talent there.”
Wandella ruckman Darcy Ramage will be one of the key players for the home side, with Ramage set to go head-to-head with Heath Moloney in the ruck.
Moloney has had yet another standout season for the Swans and has been widely regarded as the Golden Rivers premier ruckman for a number of years, with his tap work combined with his ability to impact around the ground making him an imposing member of the Moulamein midfield.
Similarly, the Swans will have to contend with Wandella young gun Archer Lancaster, who has had a breakout season on the ball for the Bombers, and Jarred Schlitz, with the intercept defender returning to form across half back against the Lions last Saturday.
Also in action this weekend will be Ultima and Murrabit, with the reigning premiers set to host the Blues in a match that looks set to decide the top two and the prized double chance.
With two wins already separating the Roos (second) and Blues (third), a victory to Ultima would see it move three games clear of the chasing pack and essentially lock away a berth in this year’s second semi-final with five round remaining.
Ultima are unlikely to have it all their own way on Saturday despite strong wins over Macorna and Hay in recent weeks, with the Blues also coming into the match with good form after two straight wins.
If they are to upset the reigning premiers, Murrabit will need to win first use of the ball out of the centre, with James Stewart, Bailey Pengelly, Bryden Morison and James Russo all set to play key roles for the Blues, along with leading goal scorer Adam Thomson, who sits second on the league goalkicking tally with 34 goals.
The final game of round 10 will be up at Hay, where the ladder leaders will host winless Macorna.
