Rockbank v Sunbury Kangaroos
The two proud clubs continue this great Anzac Day tradition at the Ian Cowie Reserve in front of a blockbuster crowd. The first time these two teams met on this fixture last year, Ryan Pretty enjoyed a day out and kicked nine goals in a thumping win for the Kangaroos in a memorable display.
Fast track to this year and the Rams languish on the bottom of the ladder without a wine to their name and the Roos sit in second place with no signs of slowing down. Malcolm Lynch will need to dig deep and find a game plan that will restrict the run of the dangerous Sunbury Kangaroo midfield. It's a big ask for them but considering that the RDFNL's Mr Football Gavin Sporle has enjoyed a past connection with the Roos, the Rockbank assistant coach may have a few aces up his sleeve to make this a real contest.
Expect the Sunbury Kangaroos to come out with all guns blazing in this contest. John Baker kicked a lazy six goals and Jamerson Campbell slotted through four as the Roos dominated the Cats en route to a 107 point win in round two. Matt Leonard was the spark that ignited the team after half time and he will be a big asset in this clash. The Rams held Rupertswood to just nine goals in the opening three terms before conceding that amount in the final term in the 98 point round two loss. This begs the question on the Rams ability to run out games strongly after remaining competitive for much of the contest. Jake Armistead is a star to look out for while Dylan Creed is handy around the goal mouth. Expect the Roos to get the job done here but fans remain hopeful of a spirited performance from the Rams.
Romsey v Wallan
The Redbacks and Pies battle it out for the CFA Cup that kicks off from 5.30pm. The Redbacks come into this clash on the back of a strong win over Diggers Rest in round two and had to come from behind to get the job done. Wallan showed about 15 minutes of brilliance in the clash against Riddell on Good Friday. The Bombers ran right over them after quarter time after leading by just 10 points at the opening break. The eight consecutive goals across the middle terms proved lethal to the Pies ambitions of a competitive effort but showed good efforts in the final term.
Romsey's kicking demons almost assisted in Diggers Rest taking the four points. The second term effort of 2.10 to two behinds handed them a 31 point half time lead. An effort of 6.6 would have ended the contest, but hindsight is a funny thing and the pressure from the Burras was strong and typified just how strong they are as a side. Nevertheless, Dermott Smythe was a stand-out and Cam Streeter backed up a great round one effort with a starring effort. Keegan Marc and Steve Bell were strong for the Pies and Josh Ruth battled hard in the loss to the Bombers.
Wallan were stung by the loss to the Bombers on Good Friday. Trevor Frost and his men will not want to put on poor back-to-back performances in front of big crowds. They need to back their run from half back, play confident possession football and keep up their talk. These characteristics were missing from their game last week and this is the game to put it into practice. As for Romsey, Davidson, Lobb and Wray could potentially have a night out as it was Riddell's big men that dominated the Pies last week in the goal mouth. Expect Romsey to win well.
Catch all the action on 100.7 Highlands FM from 5pm or - highlandsfm.org.au
Kilmore v Macedon
The Blues were bold and daring in their opening two matches of the season. While they couldn't register wins over Wallan and Woodend/Hesket, the signs were positive that they are a much improved outfit and can come to play. Simon Crump has been one of the great revelations of the competition. He is strong overhead and has an accurate kick. He leads the competition with 12 goals in two matches and he is a valuable asset to have. He only needs three or four chances and that's enough to maintain that scoreboard pressure.
Macedon come into the game on the back of a heavy loss to the Sunbury Kangaroos. They were competitive in the first half before getting blown away. The frustrating thing for Cats fans is that they do have the talent on the park to be a competitive outfit. Al Meldrum is capable of kicking big bags of goals and Ash Fleming has the capacity to mark strongly in any position, meanwhile James Wright is one of the best, if not, the best running player in the competition. Where does it all go wrong?
The pressure is on them this week to win, and not just win, but win well. They don't have fond memories on this ground after getting blown away in the Elimination final by Romsey last year. Kilmore jagged a thrilling victory against them to derail their season when it was on the rise. Kilmore will really fancy themselves here and have the potential to make a case for a position in the top six should Crump and co. come out with all guns blazing. This is one match worth watching and all eyes will be on Macedon.
Catch all the action on 98.3 OKR FM or 88.1 FM at the ground from 1.30pm.
Lancefield v Diggers Rest
The Tigers come into this game on the back of strong winning form after pinching a thriller against Broadford at the Harley Hammond Reserve. In what was one of the matches of the season to date, Chris Burkett and Matt Swindells danced around the Broadford midfielders to give plenty of supply to Riley Kindred and Lyndon Thompson. The pair shared seven goals in a crucial effort.
The Burras will be determined to bounce back after a big loss to Romsey in their opening hit-out of the season in round two. It is hard to believe that they are on a two game winning streak, one that started in the Grand final last year.
Col Laurie enjoyed a big performance in the loss to Romsey. He was well assisted by Craig Thompson and Stuart Clarke who were courageous in a magnificent display. They trailed by 31 points at half time, but as good sides do, they kicked back with seven goals to one in the third term to lead by nine points. Shaun Sims can take plenty out of the loss in his first game as coach and he will hope to use that today.
This won't be a one sided affair by any stretch. The Tigers played the Bombers here in the first round of the season and were competitive for three of four quarters. They have a fast midfield while the Burras have great strength and experience all over the ground. If Brent Tuckey lines up, he'll put on a show for Diggers Rest and has the potential to kick a bag of eight if he's on song. Expect the Hannan brothers to have a say in the midfield as they line up against the Burkett brothers for the Tigers. Expect Diggers Rest to get the job done here.
Catch the game on 100.7 Highlands FM from 1.30pm or online - highlandsfm.org.au
Melton Centrals v Broadford
The Centrals will be determined to put their round two performance behind them. After a great first half against the Bombers at the Gardiner Reserve in Gisborne, they dropped off the pace and conceded a match winning lead. They stemmed the bleeding in the final term and finished out the game strongly.
Broadford lost a heart stopper to the Tigers and will be determined to re-write those wrongs and register a win on the road. Adam Svarc was the key big man on the ground while Matt Coomans was strong in his return from Foxtel Cup duties. Despite losing, they put on a good show with Lancefield with neither side leaving anything in the tank and that's what you can expect from Broadford again this week.
A win for either side today will have a big say on the season ahead. Will Kane Bulleen and Adam Fenton dominate the midfield and forward line or while Steve Boyall use his brilliant pace to perfection in the midfield to inspire a win? This match can go either way but if Broadford want to mount a challenge this year, this is the most important win of the season for them.
Rupertswood v Riddell
Matches don't come any bigger and better than this as the fired up Sharks take on the reigning premiers. Both teams are fresh off big wins with Rupertswood putting away the Rams by 98 points and the Bombers destroying the Pies by 122 points. They say that you're only as good as your last quarter and Rupertswood's last quarter of footy where they doubled their score, shows that they will be ready for this game like never before. Riddell finished strongly to down Wallan.
Rupertswood head into this clash on the back of a six goal haul from Leigh Brennan. He is an excitement machine and a dream for any coach. He marks well in contested situations, kicks goals from long range and shows great leadership. He will have Podolczak and Wilson up the ground delivering the ball in his direction while Shane Bishop has been better than ever since returning to football from serious injury. He has enjoyed his return to Sharks colours and everyone is happy to see him play and play well.
Nolan, Cariss and Ruffell shared 15 of 24 goals in the win for Riddell over Wallan. The tall trio were unstoppable and the damage could have been greater if not for Nolan sitting out the last term. There was plenty to like about the team's performance and if given the opportunity, all players use the ball to perfection.
It is hard to see which way this contest will go and whether Rupertswood could cause a potential upset. This promises to be as exciting as any game this year and all fans will enjoy a battle between two league heavyweights.
Last Modified on 25/04/2014 09:39