Diggers Rest v Woodend/Hesket
at Diggers Rest Reserve
Last week
Diggers Rest - The Burras continued their strong winning ways with a 119 point win over Kilmore at the JJ Clancy Reserve last week. This was their second successive triple figure win and they now the highest scoring team of the competition. Brent Tuckey stepped with eight goals to hand him 23 in the last three matches. Steve Fogarty was flawless with a dominant run in the midfield and he continues to highlight himself as one of the emerging stars in the competition. In one of the more intriguing matches for stats fanatics, the Burras kicked five goals to one in the first and third terms followed by seven goals to two in the second and fourth terms in their win over the Blues.
Woodend/Hesket - The Hawks lost a rare game to Rockbank at the Ian Cowie Reserve. It has been a difficult run for the Hawks this year who have yet to win a game and average the lowest score of any team this year. They ran well with the Rams in the first term to trail by just two points before the home team skipped away with 11 goals to three after quarter time in a great display. Tom Gawthrop impressed in his first game of senior football while Michael Crozier showed great promise.
THE GAME
This shapes as a big danger game for the Hawks who will likely to take on Kilmore at home the following week in the battle of the winless sides. They need to put on a strong performance to give themselves confidence in taking that first win. Diggers Rest has been in red hot form this year with wins over Macedon, Melton Centrals and the Sunbury Kangaroos out of seven matches. They enter this game on the back of a 119-point win over Kilmore and 104-point win over Melton Centrals. Stuart Clarke and John Ryan have been in sizzling form this season and Joseph Piccolo is determined to kick a big bag of goals ... can the Hawks stem the bleeding and make this a contest?
Sunbury Kangaroos v Macedon
at Eric Boardman Reserve
Last week
Sunbury Kangaroos - The reigning premiers put on a conquering performance against Romsey in the 2012 Grand final rematch. They dominated from the opening bounce, played aggressively, weren't afraid to take the game on and took the best shots that the Redbacks could fire before going on to enjoy a big win. Jared Pretty was dangerous and Jamie Cuffe performed well as the dominant ruckman on the ground. Dwayne Tate performed well across half back and on the wing while Ryan Hatty kicked five sizzling goals.
Macedon - The Cats are back and firing after a solid 42 point win over Broadford on the weekend. After a slow first term, the Cats sprinted away with 12 goals to five after three quarter time to break the spirits of a determined Broadford. Shaun 'Doc' Neeson returned from injury and kicked five goals up forward. James Wright was at his brilliant running best and Jeremy Smith worked hard around the ground as a key tall.
THIS WEEK
The Cats have that little bit of extra confidence to challenge the Roos this week. They ran hard and played good aggressive football against Broadford last week. Neeson's return to the team with five brilliant goals and the assistance of Al Meldrum with four goals was critical to their win. The Sunbury Kangaroos enjoyed one of their better performances of the year against the Redbacks. Ryan Hatty kicked five goals at half-forward and Jared Pretty was a star. They have the wood over the Cats in recent seasons and enjoyed a big seven-goal win on this ground in last year's fixture. The Sunbury Kangaroos have a lot of good run and physical presence and the Cats will need to play at their best to pinch the four points. The home team should win, but not without a challenge.
Broadford v Wallan
at Harley Hammond Reserve
Last week
Broadford - The Roos put together one of their better performances in recent weeks when they went down to Macedon by 42 points. They trailed by 15 points at half time before the Cats kicked away in the second half. Matt Coomans returned from injury and played a solid game in the midfield. Adam Sanders and Jamie Kelly were others to impress in a far more improved effort. Jake Hall starred with four goals.
Wallan - The Pies enjoyed a break last week after playing their round eight match at the start of April. They enjoyed a great win over Woodend/Hesket in round seven by 62 points. Todd Keenan kicked five goals and Steve Bell was an absolute star. They led by 53 points at half time and ran out the match comfortable winners.
THIS WEEK
The Roos will head into this game as favourites with the return of Barry Hall for his 300th senior match of football. He will be a big influence alongside Jake Hall who kicked four goals last week. The Pies will have the job ahead of them but they do have some good runners in the form of Adam Suban and Luke Zeralla who work genuinely hard. The Roos will want to do what they can to keep their slim finals hopes alive and lift themselves to their third win of the year. The Pies need this win to give themselves a slight chance in finishing round nine inside the top six.
Catch all the action on 88.1FM at the ground or on 98.3 OKR FM around the Mitchell Shire region.
Lancefield v Romsey
at Lancefield Park
Last week
Lancefield - The Tigers enjoyed the bye last week after a gutsy performance against the reigning premiers, the Sunbury Kangaroos in round seven. They led at half time before falling away in the second half to lose by four goals. They won many admirers that day and showed that they are a much improved outfit after heavy losses to the Roos last year. Jay Shewan and Chris Collins dominated in the midfield while Scott Woolcock held his own in the ruck. They challenged the Roos across all areas but the experience stopped their run towards four points.
Romsey - The Redbacks were beaten by a more experienced and less injury-riddled team in the form of the Sunbury Kangaroos last week. They had countless changed to the team that defeated Rupertswood the previous week with Dawson, Mitchell and Brewer suffering injuries and they added several first game players to the team that weren't used to the game structure. They managed to get within five points in the second term and kept the Roos scoreless in the third term for 18 minutes but they could not capitalise and apply good scoreboard pressure. The result was a 38 point loss in a game that the Roos dominated.
THIS WEEK
The last time Romsey played on this ground was to play off in a grand final. The Redbacks will be eager to rise to the tempo and physicality played on that day. Romsey has been hit by injuries and Lancefield is maturing as a team. If there was any time that the Tigers would fancy themselves a chance to better the Redbacks; after pushing the Sunbury Kangaroos; following a bye; this is it. Given the turbulence at Romsey with 11 players missing through injury and Matt Davidson's quiet form in recent weeks, this is the sort of game that they could win by a big margin with Davidson kicking a bag, or they just sneak over the line. It is cross-town rivalry at its finest in explosive football action.
Catch all the action on 88.1 FM at the ground; 100.7FM FM around the Macedon Ranges or online - highlandsfm.org.au
Melton Centrals v Riddell
at MacPherson Park
Last week
Melton Centrals - The home team will be fresh off a week's break and determined to hit this game full of running. Their last hit-out had them stunned when they fell to Diggers Rest by 104 points in one of the most highly anticipated matches of round seven. They enjoyed a massive victory over Wallan in their round eight fixture played at the start of the year to get their season started in the best way possible. After leading the season on top of the ladder, they have lost the last four games and sit in fifth position, two games behind fourth placed Romsey.
Riddell - The Bombers are flying high on top of the ladder. They enjoyed a thumping 84 point victory over Rupertswood last week in what was a dead-set fizzer of a much hyped up contest. James Nolan starred with six goals as the Bombers led by seven points at quarter time before kicked 11 goals to two in the middle quarters to end the contest. Brayden Allen and Aaron Blade were stand-outs.
THIS WEEK
This is the Centrals' turn to shine and they will give themselves every chance to defeat the undefeated ladder-leaders. They will need to look to their round eight win over Wallan, back in April and play to that form instead of their last match - a 104-point loss to Diggers Rest. Adam Fenton and Nathan Richardson need to step up to the plate and fire up. The Bombers seem to get better each week and Troy Scoble has achieved great things as coach of that club. James Nolan kicked six goals and Brayden Allen was a star as the two formed a dangerous combination in the ruck during their 84-point win over Rupertswood. They will come out with all guns blazing and send an early message to the reigning premiers, the Sunbury Kangaroos, who they face in round 12, that they are the ones to beat in 2013.
Rupertswood v Kilmore
at Rupertswood Oval
Last week
Rupertswood - The home team suffered a shock 14 goal loss to the Bombers last week after an inspiring and encouraging effort against the Redbacks the previous week. They lacked the influence of Leigh Brennan up forward while Todd Podolczak and Ben Brennan were left to carry the scoring. Dave Morrice performed well in the midfield while Brad Slater performed well in the ruck in a team that lacked key performers on the day.
Kilmore - The Blues matched the Burras in the first half with some strong and hard working performances from some of their younger players. Rick Saunders, Zane Collier and Chris Laffan stepped up when the Blues needed some hard workers and they could lift their heads high in the 119 point loss. There is plenty to like about Kilmore as a good developing side who won't be too far away from registering their first win of the season.
THIS WEEK
If there is any game where Rupertswood can bounce back to the winners list, this is it. They won't have it all their own way as Kilmore will continue to challenge them at every turn. Expect Tom Donoghue and Cameron Johnson to be some of the youngsters to make a big impact for Rupertswood and Chris Wakeling could find himself on the end of a bag of goals if given the chance in his second game.
Last Modified on 14/06/2013 16:12