Avoca v Trentham
Trentham make the trip to the Avoca Public Park on Saturday and will be confident of returning to the winners list after losses in the past two matches against sides in the top eight.
Avoca have only won one game for the season, but have held their own against some of the top sides, and were unlucky to go down to Talbot by 2 points last Saturday, so this will be no picnic for the Saints.
Avoca will be without Kelly Lyle to a broken collarbone and Greg Hewson will be unavailable, but they will be hoping that Luke Mahoney will return after a two game absence and will also look forward to Lachlan Morganti returning to the team after a stint away with teammate Blake Salmon and the AFL Goldfields team.
Saint Jake Keogh is also an AFL Goldfields team representative but has not played seniors for Trentham in recent games so will probably not be an inclusion this round.
North Ballarat Rebels player Callan Wellings played for the Saints last week against Natte-Bealiba and was their best player, but he will most likely be playing for the Rebels this week so will be a big loss for the Saints.
The Bulldogs were very disappointed to lose against Talbot last week and will consider this game an opportunity to redeem themselves, especially with the game being played at their home ground.
This should be a close encounter which could go either way.
Avoca
B: Taylor Hall, Jesse Britton, Toby Beavis
HB: Joel Carter, , Hugh Bucknall
C: Brady Williams, Lachlan Morganti, James Walton
HF: Xavier Slater, Haydn Slater, Bryce Howell
F: Joel Howell, Ben Howell, Daniel Howell
R: Rangi Vickers, Jacob Nicholson, Michael Henningsen
Int: Devon Svilicic, Jackson Steel, Desmond Critchley, Cameron Holland
In: Lachlan Morganti
Out: Andrew Hewson, Kelly Lyle
Trentham
B: Brok Wightman, Brendan James, Paul Smith
HB: Jonathon Nadin, Jamie Cutler, Taylor Drew
C: Kasey Williams, Christopher Whelan, Isaac Jennings
HF: James Gray, Mark Strickland, Michael Day
F: Hayden Sundblom, Luke Whitehouse, Luke Adams
R: James Wicker, John Cowell, Lewis Bruton
Int: Justin Hoffman, Luke Willes, Jake Beecham, Jared Muir
In: Luke Willes, Jake Beecham, Justin Hoffman, Luke Adams, Jared Muir
Out: Matthew Sundblom, Elliot Drew, Curtis McNamara, Brian Cole, Callan Wellings
Royal Park v Lexton
Royal Park are on a high after a promising effort against Navarre last week and pushing the Ladder leaders all of the way. This week they will be hosting Lexton in the Battle of the Tigers and will be super confident of toppling the third placed Lexton and maintaining their push towards a potential premiership.
Josh Brown was again in good form for Royal Park last Saturday with another five goals from only six shots on goal and he played a key role in the Tigers pushing the Grasshoppers all of the way, as was the run of Jake Pring and Stefan Pye who are very lively around the stoppages.
Pring and Pye will have to be at their best this week as they face quality opponents such as Damon Aspland, Jimmy Templeton, Dylan Barr and Scott Clark who are all capable of gaining plenty of ball from the stoppages.
Matt Brown had his kicking boots on last week with eight goals against Rovers, and he will probably be matched up by Jay Anderson who is a very capable defender who has the pace to keep a close check on Brown.
The battle of the Tigers is expected to be the game of the round and could go either way, but the visitors will still be the favourites.
Royal Park
B: Taylor Stewart, Zachary Dunne, Lawrence Perks
HB: Jay Anderson, Shane Gray, Zachary Tunbridge
C: Hamish Blake, Chris Cowan, Jacob Cahill
HF: William Short, Murray Bond, Stefan Pye
F: Christopher Morley, James Lindeback, Joshua Brown
R: James Sutherland, Jake Pring, Trent Pye
Int: Brendan Murdoch, Ben Clay, Ashley Noonan, Zachary Stewart
Lexton
B: Jordan Egan, Ryan Wait, Jacob Spolding
HB: Trevor Johnson, Liam Cullinan, Nicholas Spolding
C: James Templeton, Dylan Barr, James Morrish
HF: Damon Aspland, Jordan Phelan, Justin White
F: Bryce Karslake, Matthew Brown, Lachlan Murray
R: Nigel Reid, Scott Clark, Michael Smith
Int: Tim Buby, Mitchell Kennedy, Michael Jennings, Nathan Barnes
In: Jacob Spolding, Nathan Barnes, Michael Jennings
Out: Lachlan Pryor, Jack Faull, Luke Evans
Carisbrook v Harcourt
The Carisbrook Redbacks host the Harcourt Lions this week and despite the fact that Harcourt has only lost one game for the season, the Redbacks will go into the match as odds on favourites to keep their winning form alive.
The return of Nathan Wright to the team has strengthened the forward zone as Wright’s nine goal performance against Maldon last Saturday indicates and it was also noticed that the high flying Pat Jenes returned to field in the Reserves with a ten goal game, so he could also be a possible inclusion this week. Carisbrook may lose the services of Brady Neil in this game after he sustained a wrist injury against Maldon so the inclusion of Jenes would cover his loss.
Harcourt was pushed all of the way against Newstead last Saturday as the Steaders came home strong to just fall short by a kick after trailing by 28 points at three quarter time. This fade out will be a worry for Coach Sean Smith as his team will have to play well for all four quarters if they are to topple the very strong Redbacks team.
Josh Collinson has been a solid recruit for the Lions this season and plays well across half back, but he and star defemder, Alan Mack, will have to be at their best as they will face quality opposition this week.
It is difficult to see the Lions getting over Carisbrook at the Home of the Redbacks.
Carisbrook
B: Benjamin Kick, Hayden Barby, Andrew Lovett
HB: Nathan O'Keefe, Jake Bucknall, Kurt Bruechert
C: Riley Herd, Nichlos Wright, Jacob Dyer
HF: Matthew Jukes, Adam Hurse, Ryan Hudson-Morgan
F: Patrick Jenes, Nathan Wright, Matthew Bilton
R: Ty Stewart, Lachlan Edwards, Ashley Robinson
Int: Mark Cox, Aaron Taggart, Jakob Tidyman, Travis Cornwill
In: Ashley Robinson, Travis Cornwill, Lachlan Edwards, Kurt Bruechert, Patrick Jenes
Out: Brady Neill, Jack Ross, Jonathon Gray, Mitchell Whelan, Kieran Johns
Harcourt
B: Alex Birch, Joshua Collinson, Jack Douglass
HB: Jordan Gartside, Sam Gale , Michael Dwyer
C: Matthew Giri, Brendan Josey, Christopher Ling
HF: Alan Mack, Kyle McLean, Jeffrey McMurtrie
F: Christopher Smart, Adam Pollock, Sean Moss
R: Daniel Smith, Joel Smith, Sean Smith
Int: Paul McKay, Adam Ward, Michael McConnell, Christopher Stone
In: Paul McKay, Michael McConnell
Out: James Gale, Liam Kerkvliet
Navarre v Maldon
Maldon travel to Navarre this week and will be hoping for a better performance than was produced against Carisbrook last round when the Bombers could only score seven goals for the game.
The Bombers found it very difficult to penetrate the defensive half of Carisbrook and as Navarre has the best defensive unit in the League, it is unlikely things will get any better on Sunday.
The Grashoppers had five of their better players missing against Royal Park last week and may take the opportunity to rest a couple of them for another game to allow them the extra time to recover from the niggling injuries for their round 12 clash with Lexton in a fortnight’s time.
Navarre have a team that possesses a lot of depth and their junior players were very impressive against Royal Park, especially Josh Fowkes who was outstanding in the ruck and his around the ground marking was a highlight of the game. He will have a tough contest against the bigger bodied Josh Pascoe this week, but the ability to leap over his opponents is a strong weapon that Fowkes possesses.
Louis Hannett was also exceptional at the stoppages against Royal Park and he and Hayden Kelly will be well matched in the middle, but Navarre have too many other avenues to the scoring zone and should be able to win comfortably.
Navarre
B: Josh Driscoll, Shaun Clohesy, Matt Newton
HB: Harley McKenny, Jackson Birthisel, Nigel Greenaway
C: Lachlan Slorach, Sam Kaye, Bryce Tickner
HF: Billy Parry, Jayden Fowkes, Jeremy Harrington
F: Jesse Hannett, Danny Grellet, Cody Driscoll
R: Josh Fowkes, Daniel Reading, Aaron Slorach
Int: Louis Hannett, Dale Ansell, Nicholas Murphy, Austin Squire
Emg: Blake Swain, Matthew Grinham
In: Shaun Clohesy, Jackson Birthisel
Out: Kris Brennan, Aiden Lee
Maldon
B: Matthew Gray, Hayden Kelly, Vaughan Williams
HB: Mark Webb, Michael Mulholland, Damien Gatti
C: Bryce Roberts, Joshua Hutchinson, Jake Elliot
HF: Nicholas Kelly, Jeremy Cross, Jackson Douch
F: Leigh Halliwell, Jamie Cox, Lachie Josey
R: Josh Pascoe, Shaun Burchell, Kyle Winstanley
Int: Harley Brereton, Marc Carroll, Isaiah Hartley, Dean Primmer
In: Nicholas Kelly, Marc Carroll
Out: Ashley Woodman, Nicholas McKnight
Dunolly v Maryborough Rovers
Maryborough Rovers will be fixated on bouncing back from a heavy defeat at the hands of Lexton last week and round nine presents them with the perfect opportunity to do so, with the Magpies set to take bottom-of-the-ladder Dunolly.
While Rovers had no issues kicking goals against Lexton last week, booting an impressive 16 majors, it was at the opposite end of the ground where the black-and-white brigade fell apart, allowing Lexton's goal kickers to get off the leash. No doubt Rovers' coach Scott Sellers will have addressed this during the week, and will be focussed upon limiting Dunolly's attacking forays this weekend.
Dunolly's season continues to falter, with the young Eagles side unable to compete with their more experienced opponents. There's plenty of promise there for the future however, with the likes of Mick Campbell, Jordy Fraser and Matt Gibbs giving Eagles fans something to look forward to in the years to come. In the meantime however, Dunolly coach Shaun Smith simply needs to get his side playing more consistent football, and focus on developing his side for the future.
Dunolly
B: Grant Raven, Jeremy Hancock, Hayden Wellard
HB: Jackson Baker, Jordi Philbrick, Michael Campbell
C: Patrick McGregor, James Blackwell, Corey Dawson
HF: David Bilton, Peter Wytkamp, Steven Shovan
F: Joe Thompson, Justin Laird, Justin Moore
R: Matthew Stiles, Matthew Gibbs, Jamie Townsend
Int: Bradley McHugh, Jason Haley, Martin Gale, Dean Foster
In: Jason Haley
Out: Chris Wright
Maryborough Rovers
B: Christopher Gunn, Danny Whitnall, Aaron Westbrook
HB: Daniel Jennison, Kel Chaffey-Jones, Scott Sellers
C: Ryan Guareschi, Brayden Guareschi, David Popovski
HF: Bryce Fletcher, Bradley Fraser, Corey Wilson
F: Dylan Gibson, Karson Guareschi, Grant Ryan
R: Dion Hedger, Richard Phillips, Brohdie Smyth
Int: Brendon Hedger, Adam Mclean, Tristan Knights, James Rowles
In: Danny Whitnall, Grant Ryan, James Rowles
Out: Andrew Hughes, Trent Monk, Dale Capell
Campbells Creek v Natte Bealiba
Natte Bealiba will head to Campbells Creek on Saturday in hopes of recording another big win to keep the Swans in contention for a top four berth.
After nine rounds, the Swans are boasting a 7-2 win-loss ratio, with losses to Lexton and Navarre the only blots in their copybook, yet despite such an impressive first half of the year, Natte is outside the competition's top four, chasing the likes of Harcourt and Lexton, who are both one win ahead of the Swans. In recent weeks, the Swans' multifaceted forward line has come to the fore, with Adrian Pilgrim and Zac Perez providing an impressive one-two punch, backed up by contributions from Matt Stagg, Tom Douglas, Lachlan Cameron and Stephen Ross. The form of the Natte midfield has also been key to their success, with assistant coach Jarrod Bateson in red-hot form alongside veteran campaigner Brent Mortlock.
Campbells Creek won't go down without a fight however, particularly on the back of their form from last round, which saw the Magpies crush bottom side Dunolly by a whopping 75 points. While the Swans will be a different proposition to the lowly Eagles, the Creekers will back their own talent to go toe-to-toe with Natte. The key to the Magpies' success will be to what extent they can curtail Natte's forwards, with a multitude of goal kickers to keep under wraps
Campbells Creek
B: Matthew McLean, Jayden Molloy, Ryan Jeffrey
HB: Chris Klimeck, Andrew Valli, Matthew Lorenz
C: Tim Conder, James Boag, Matthew Halacas
HF: Shaun Boag, Shannon Berriman, Carl Simmons
F: Luke Ashmore, Mark Ashmore, Joshua Adamson
R: Dylan Gordois, Brandon Greenwood, Daniel Klimeck
Int: Luke Pritchard, Cordie McKendry, Chris Cassidy, Jayson Gilbert
In: Matthew McLean, Andrew Valli, Cordie McKendry
Out: Cody Adamson, Ross Slater, John Prendergast
Natte Bealiba
B: Jamie Evans, Jack Kennedy, Dean Graco
HB: Trent Mortlock, Kurt Mortlock, Brayden Mills
C: Daniel Gifford, Jacob Long, Thomas Douglas
HF: Evan Weir, Matthew Stagg, Ashley Evans
F: Zachary Perez, Adrian Pilgrim, Brent Mortlock
R: Lachlan Cameron, Jarrod Bateson, Stephen Ross
Int: Shane Mortlock, Jye Mortlock, Karl Morley, Jarrod Graco
In: Jarrod Graco, Ashley Evans, Shane Mortlock
Out: Emmet Smith, Michael Columbro, Nathan Ross
Newstead v Talbot
Talbot will head to Newstead this weekend with one goal in mind — making it three wins on the trot for the Hawks.
After a poor start to the season, Talbot has re-discovered that winning feeling in the past two weeks, defeating Maldon in round seven and then scoring a nail-biting two-point victory over Avoca last week. Co-coaches Matt Smith and Dallas Byars will be keen to keep that winning momentum going, and will need their key performers in Luke Kemp, Trent Barras and Liam Belcher to continue their good form.
Newstead won't be any pushover however, with the Steaders gradually improving on a week-by-week basis. With their experience growing every week, the Roos future stars such as Jonty Entwistle, Oscar Lynzaat and Brad Richardson are finding their feet at senior level, and boast plenty of goal kicking power between them. More seasoned campaigners such as Jayden Bott, Adrian Conn and Ash Webster need to continue to set the example for their younger teammates, and the Steaders' star should continue to rise.
Newstead
B: Blake Renfrey, Cody Kirby, Ashley Webster
HB: Michael Dalrymple, Dale Bott, Adam Hunter
C: Kaleb Mcbride, Patrick Cummins, Thomas Cahill
HF: Joel Smith, Adrian Conn, Oscar Lynzaat
F: Darcy Ahern, Jonty Entwisle, Matthew Hunter
R: Scott Beames, Nathan Webster, Cameron Hepburn
Int: Kyle Hamilton, Joel Thomas, Steven Pollard, Rhys Smith
In: Darcy Ahern, Joel Thomas, Steven Pollard
Out: Zachary Tanner, Jayden Bott, Courtney Brown
Talbot
B: Shaun Carroll, Luke How, Josh Sullivan
HB: Brendon Shine, Timothy Carroll, Matthew Smith
C: James Collings, Drew Hancock, Kane Heathcock
HF: Ross Wise, Tom Sutherland, Bradley Coffey
F: Daniel Romeo, Mathew Whiteman, Jarrod Kemp
R: Robert Conroy, Luke Kemp, Trent Barras
Int: Kallan Boucher, Lachlan Griffiths, Jorde Bux, Liam Belcher, Nicholas Parry, Tim Solomon, Ryan Kenden
In: Nicholas Perry, Bradley Coffey, Ryan Kenden
Last Modified on 03/07/2015 14:38