Diggers Rest v Rupertswood
at Diggers Rest Reserve
Last week
Diggers Rest - The Burra's enjoyed a well deserved week off after defeating Woodend/Hesket by 10 goals in round nine. They were very polished with their skills and ran the inexperienced Hawks off their legs. The reigning preliminary finalists have won their last eight games since succumbing to Riddell by just five points in round one. They have enjoyed victories over Macedon, Melton Centrals and inflicted the Sunbury Kangaroos only defeat of the season, of teams that are inside the top six. Needless to say that they are doing all the eight things and average the second highest scores per game compared to any other team in the competition and boast the second best defense.
Rupertswood - Rupo started off slowly in their clash against Melton Centrals and paid for it dearly at siren's end when they fell short by just six points. Rupo, without forward Leigh Brennan, kicked just two goals to half time before rallying with five goals to two in the second half but it was not enough to get them over the line. Tom West and Mitch Wilson were big stand-outs while Nash Egan was a hard worker in the backline. Rupertswood wasted crucial chances against a physically hard side like the Melton Centrals.
THE GAME
This is a massive test for Rupertswood. Diggers Rest has been in such good form this year and has put away some great sides in the competition. The Burras dispatched Melton Centrals by 17 goals in recent weeks and Brent Tuckey is in career best form. He has kicked 40 goals this year. Shaun Sims recently returned from injury and has been in fine touch. Rupertswood's Ben Brennan has been in good form up forward. He has led the team's goal kicking in four of the last five weeks and shows no signs of slowing down. Rupo players will fancy themselves here but on paper, they are on par of that of the Melton Centrals and we know what happened they faced Diggers Rest. They need to be switched on from the outset and kick more than two goals for each quarter, let alone a half of football.
Woodend/Hesket v Lancefield
at Gilbert Gordon Oval
Last week
Woodend/Hesket - The Hawks snapped a eight game losing steak with an impressive win over Kilmore. They were dominant from the outset and kept the ball inside their forward line for most of the first half to lead by 47 points at half time, en-route to a 40 point win. Alex Shipard was impressive across half back while Tom Gawthrop and Michael Crozier showed great signs of brilliance, the latter, to be unavailable due to interleague commitments. They took on everything that the Blues threw at them, and they held firm to win in front of a big home crowd.
Lancefield - The Tigers left their kicking boots at home last week against the Cats. They finished with the same scoring shots against their opponents but went on to lose the match by 10 goals. Chris and Tim Collins were strong in the midfield but they could only register just one goal in the first half and that prevented them from clawing back in to the game in the second half. John Baker was completely shut out of the game and could only register one major.
THE GAME
The Hawks will go into this clash with their heads held high and full of confidence against the ninth-placed Tigers. The Tigers have been in the contest for a large portion of their recent losses. They are a much-improved outfit with an improved midfield led by Scott Woolcock in the ruck. The last time the Tigers travelled to this venue, they won their first game in more than a season and that inspired more confidence in their performances for the remainder of the season. They are playing with great confidence and face the Hawks who are at that mark too. Lancefield has a polished forward line with a recognised goal kicker while the Hawks don't have a set full-forward. This could be a key factor in the outcome as both teams appeared evenly matched across other areas on the ground.
This match will be broadcast on 88.1FM at the ground from 1.30pm or on 100.7 Highlands FM around the Macedon Ranges. Log onto - highlandsfm.org.au
Kilmore v Rockbank
at JJ Clancy Reserve
Last week
Kilmore - The Blues showed some outstanding signs of improvement last week in the loss to the Hawks. Rick Saunders battled well from half back, Rob Peckham was a rock in the ruck and was impossible to beat while Ben Dawson won plenty of the ball and took the game on. The Hawks showed too much strength in the midfield when it mattered and rebounded well from half back. Simon Heather was a strong force up forward and provided a good target when the ball was sent long in his direction. When they had control of the play, they looked good and set up great delivery into their forward line.
Rockbank - The Rams went to Romsey Park last week prepared to take on the reigning grand finalists and they did just that. They ran with Romsey until midway through the third term where they trailed by just 17 points before the Redbacks kickied away late in the term with the last four goals to seal their fate. Anthony Long was a star with four goals and Jamie Zerafa was at his brilliant best in the midfield. The pleasing thing with the Rams was that they played strong as a team and their efforts showed on the paddock against a strong Romsey line-up.
THE GAME
The Rams have come out of their shell in recent weeks. Their last three weeks featured wins over Broadford and Woodend/Hesket; before a narrow loss to Romsey. This has been as good as any stretch of football that they've played in the last few years. They face a gallant Kilmore which has the great cattle on the paddock to win this game and step up with the Rams. If the Blues can stop Rockbank's midfielders getting on top early, they could walk away with their first four points of the year. Unfortunately Rockbank is in red hot form and will take some beating.
Melton Centrals v Macedon
at MacPherson Park
Last week
Melton Centrals - The home team has been in good form in recent weeks. They pushed the Bombers back in round nine and enjoyed a great win over Rupertswood last week. If they want to step up and make the finals this year, these are the sorts of games they should be winning. They knocked off challenger Rupertswood thanks to the brilliance of Josh Armstrong that stepped up with four goals and Scott Matthews was at his dynamic brilliant best. Last week was the win that they needed and they have a few winnable games in the coming month to strengthen their push towards the finals.
Macedon - The Cats lethal accuracy in front of the big sticks secured a massive 10 goal win over the Tigers at home last week. Coach Al Meldrum was sensational with six goals while Shaun 'the Doc' Neeson was a live wire in the forward line. They opened up the match with five goals in the second term and six goals in the final term. They say you're only as good as your last quarter and the Cats are looking good. Their backline held the Tigers goalless.
THE GAME
This is the match of the round. These sides played out a memorable draw and the Cats won a four-point thriller in matches against each other last year. Both teams have good draws in the coming weeks with very winnable games. The Centrals defeated fellow finals contender Rupertswood last week which has started to create a solid break between sixth and seventh position. The Cats have a great draw in the second half of the season and if they can get a big win here, this will give them the edge over the opposition teams in the coming weeks. The Cats have a stronger side on paper and may just get ahead on the scoreboard at the end of the match.
Romsey v Broadford
at Romsey Park on Friday night
Last week
Romsey - The Redbacks welcomed the return of Cam Dawson and Mitch Farmer last week against Rockbank. They battled hard in the final 40 minutes to run away 45 point winners. They had to dig deep against a much improved opposition. Matt Davidson kicked five goals while Dermott Smythe showed some great form in the midfield. The Redbacks have suffered lots of injuries in recent weeks but Smythe's addition covers a big hole in the midfield.
Broadford - The Roos toiled hard in an uninspiring clash at Riddell last week. They failed to kick a goal in three quarters. They managed three in the third term. If they averaged three each quarter, they would have got over the line against the Bombers. Michael Gillard was strong in the ruck in a brilliant head-to-head battle with James Nolan of Riddell.
THE GAME
This is the first Riddell District Football Netball League match played for points under lights. AFL legend Barry Hall will return for this clash for Broadford and he will go head-to-head with Matt Davidson. Hopefully for the big crowd in attendance, both players have a night out. This promises to be an exciting game and Hall will be a big influence. If he kicks a bag and another teammate kicks three or four, Broadford might have a slight chance. Expect Romsey's runners to have too more pace against the dynamic Broadford team and celebrate a historic night with a big win over the rampaging Roos.
Catch all the action from 6pm on 88.1Fm at the ground, 100.7FM or highlandsfm.org.au
Kick off will be from 7.35pm
Last Modified on 28/06/2013 17:05