Woodend/Hesket v Kilmore
at Gilbert Gordon Oval
Last week
Woodend/Hesket – The Hawks succumbed to their eighth loss of the season and sit on the bottom of the ladder after their defeat at the hands of the Brent Tuckey led Diggers Rest. To their credit, the Hawks restricted the Burras to just seven goals to half time and trailed by just five. The Burras third quarter was the most dangerous where they kicked six of their 15 goals to end the game as a contest and win by 11 goals. Chris James stepped up in his first game in Hawks colours after crossing from Lancefield; Daniel Martin continued his purple patch of form with a solid performance as a key position player; while Alex Shipard continued his brilliant touch that showed why he was vital in the RDFNL’s Senior Interleague success.
Kilmore – The Blues fell to their ninth loss of the season when they fell to Rupertswood by 58 points. They battled bravely on the road and conceded goals in quick time at the end of several quarters after working so hard to hold their opposition. This was a disciplined and confident effort by the young Kilmore side that has been competitive in most matches this year. Rob Peckham was a star in the ruck and put his invaluable experience to great use. Sheldon was at his electrifying best up forward with five goals to give him 16 for the season.
THE GAME
This is arguably the match of the round on paper. Both teams are evenly matched and showed signs of promise in matches against stronger teams. Both teams are evenly matched for youth and experience and both coaches have great experience and belief in their team. They suffered similar defeats last week but were very competitive for many parts of the game. Kilmore has more fire power in the forward line with Nic Sheldon, while the Hawks rely on a wide spread of players to kick their goals. If Sheldon is kept quiet, the Hawks will win. If Sheldon has a day out, so will the Blues. Who will be the last winless team this season? A coin toss will need to be used to decide the winner of this one.
Tune in to 88.1FM at the ground or on 100.7 Highlands FM around the Macedon Ranges from 1.30pm.
Wallan v Sunbury Kangaroos
at Green Hill Reserve
Last week
Wallan – The Pies show grit and confidence in their performance against Broadford. They trailed on the scoreboard by a significant margin in testing conditions, but they continued to work hard and stay in the contest. The Roos, led by Barry Hall in game 300, won by eight points in a really hard slog. Irons and Harrison Trotman were stand-outs for the Pies while Keenan was dangerous up forward with three goals. While they lost by just eight points, they remain one game outside of the top six and still within striking distance of a potential finals berth.
Sunbury Kangaroos – The reigning premiers are doing all the right things in their premiership title defense. They registered win number eight of the season in style with a big 64 point win over the Cats at home. While they were able to register 15 majors on the board, a lot of the credit should go to their backmen who restricted a dangerous Macedon forward line to just five goals. Ryan Hatty bagged another haul of five to move to seventh on the league goal kicking, not a bad effort for a small forward.
THE GAME
The Pies head into this clash with extra confidence against the Roos. They showed enough signs last week that they are capable of having a good four-quarter performance. Not every team has a forward as dangerous as Barry Hall. Perhaps if he didn't play for Broadford, the result could have been different than the eight-point loss Wallan eventually suffered. Unfortunately for Wallan, the Roos have many quality tall and small forwards that make them just as dangerous as Broadford. The Roos will win this one but it won't be that easy for them. They are the third highest scoring team of the season and will hope to keep the even spread of goals coming and tick the right boxes ahead of the bye before they take on Riddell in round 13.
Tune in to 88.1FM at the ground or on 98.3OKR FM around the Mitchell Shire Region from 1.30pm.
Melton Centrals v Rupertswood
at MacPherson Park
Last week
Melton Centrals – Last year’s finalists showed a lot of character against the league leading Bombers. They were blown off their own home park in the first term to trail by 34 points at quarter time before closing to within 12 points at half time. They registered just one major in the second half while holding the free flowing high scoring Bombers to just four. They should take many positives out of the loss and take them into this big game against Rupertswood, just one of several sides looking to battle for the bottom two spots inside the top six. Chris Carassellos showed terrific poise in a starring effort.
Rupertswood – The stars from Salesian College worked hard to get the four points over Kilmore at home last week. They won by 58 points and were able to score goals heavily in quick succession. They enjoyed a similar run against the Redbacks several weeks ago where they kicked a high number of consecutive goals and claim all the momentum. Ben Brennan stepped up with six of the best while John Corso was back to great form in the middle.
THE GAME
This clash will go either way. Melton Centrals have the performances on the board to take the four points after starting the year in spectacular form. They have dropped four games since their promising start and look to get back on the winners' list. Adam Fenton kicked two goals last week for the Centrals while Rupertswood had plenty of forward power at the other end in its win over Kilmore - led by six goals from Ben Brennan. Winning form is good form and Rupertswood has so far had a better attack and defence than its opposition, that could sway the game in its favour. Expect Brad Slater to play a big part in t
Riddell v Broadford
at Riddells Creek Reserve
Last week
Riddell – The Bombers went on their merry way with their eight win of the season as they took the points over Melton Centrals. Mick Allen was in fine touch with four goals to take his season tally to 17. The Bombers set up the win in the first term with the opening five goals of the game and didn’t look back despite the brave efforts from the Centrals. The Bombers midfield really started to click into gear through Matt Sammut and then, Paul Sahlberg’s run from the backline. There was plenty to like about their win in trying conditions.
Broadford – The Roos climbed to within one win of the top six with a bruising eight point win over Wallan at home last week. Barry Hall celebrated his 300th game of senior football in style with seven goals. The Roos powered away to a four goal lead at half time before holding off a spirited Pies line-up to win by eight points. Matt Coomans was a welcome return and played outstanding in the midfield to help spur the Roos over the line for a great win.
THE GAME
The Bombers have a great record against the Roos at home. They have won comfortably here in recent years despite the brave effort ofom their opponents. This won't be an easy game for them and their midfield will have to really step up. There is a lot of promise from the Hume Highway team that has sparked a rapid improvement in the way the players attack the ball. Riddell should win this game with a superior experienced and youthful midfield to provide many centre clearances and set up countless forward thrusts. Jarryd Silvester will be the X-factor and may find himself on the end of a big bag of goals.
Romsey v Rockbank
at Romsey Park
Last week
Romsey – The Redbacks returned to the winners list with a gutsy win over the Tigers by 26 points at Lancefield Park last week. The Redbacks set up the win in the third term with six goals to nil, and seven goals in a row overall to lead by nine goals. The Tigers made a fight back to stem the bleeding in the final term but it was all too late. Romsey unveiled Leigh McMahon who showed great versatility up forward and around the middle of the ground. Shaun Austin and Cam Streeter were stand-outs while Jack Mills looked dangerous up forward.
Rockbank – The Rams return from the bye full of confidence with back to back wins under the belt. They enjoyed big wins over Woodend/Hesket and Wallan in the last two weeks with coach Leigh Sporle kicking five in each win. They showcased a great team effort in the win over the Hawks and there is plenty to like about their development as they look to rattle Romsey on their home paddock.
THE GAME
Rockbank is a much improved outfit. The Rams have won the last two weeks by a combined margin of 23 goals against Wallan and Woodend/Hesket. They run hard, attack with ball with great aggressiveness and won't back down from a challenge. While decimated by injuries, Romsey still has experienced creative movers of the ball in the middle. Shaun Austin has stepped in Brad Mitchell's role and has been the main instigator of freeing up players with clean use of hands. Shannon Green is a hard competitor and does a lot of the little things in packs to win the ball for his team. Romsey will have too many winners on the day and Matt Davidson is due for a big haul of goals, will this clash be that game?
Macedon v Lancefield
at Tony Clarke Reserve
Last week
Macedon – The Cats needed to be brave and daring against the Sunbury Kangaroos and they played that way for almost a half of football before they were completely overrun. Jason Davies, James Wright and Matt Johnstone were creative in the midfield but so much was saved for so few and they could not maintain a great level of consistency. The Roos won by 64 points and the Cats registered just five goals despite having a strong forward line capable of registering big bags of goals. Shaun Neeson showed some spark up forward but even he had limited opportunities against a classy midfield.
Lancefield – The Tigers showed great courage in their loss to Romsey. They were consistent for about 75 percent of the game before Romsey ran over them in the remainder of the game. John Baker stepped up with six goals but he kicked four of them in the last term when the Redbacks had shut up shop. Matt Burkett, Phil Shaw and James Falcone put together great efforts while Dale Joseph performed well on Matt Davidson. The Tigers played brave and daring football in the first half before the Redbacks worked their magic.
THE GAME
This is a winnable game for the Tigers after performing well against last year's grand finalists in the last two weeks. They need to play good consistent football for four full quarters and they would have learned valuable lessons in the last two weeks to apply that against the Cats. Macedon needs to win, plain and simple. The Cats sit outside the top six on percentage and don't just want to make up the numbers if they make it through to the finals. The Cats face just two teams above them in their last eight games of the season, possibly the easiest run home for any club. This is why they must learn to win games like this to make a statement to the competition.
Last Modified on 21/06/2013 17:40