Campbells Creek v Dunolly
Campbells Creek host winless Dunolly this week in the Bendigo Bank Maryborough Castlemaine District Football Netball League and the Creekers will be eager to continue their winning run as they have a number of winnable games in the next month.
It was a lucky win last round after Avoca was coming home strong and the Creekers managed to fight off the Bulldogs and come away with a win by the narrowest of margins.
The improvement in Creek’s performance this season has been helped by the inclusion of Adam Pollock in the ruck who has been a good find and he will have a good duel with Eagles Ruckman, Adrian Devereaux who has also been in some good form for the Eagles this season.
Sean Smith may be in his twilight years, but he still plays like a youngster as he leads by example around the ground. He will have a good duel with Dunolly coach Tony Bellenger who is also considered to be in his twilight years, so it will be a good contest amongst two inspirational leaders.
Dunolly have struggled since posting a season opening draw with Trentham and will be hard pressed to topple Creek at a ground which the Magpies have turned into a fortress this season .
Campbells Creek
Selected side not submitted
Dunolly
B: Mitchell Harper, Grant Raven, Hayden Wellard
HB: Lee Jackson, Dylan Gordois, Jamie Townsend
C: Michael Campbell, Tony Bellenger, Matthew Halacas
HF: Timothy Britton, Harry Warren, Justin Moore
F: Jesse Olsen, Brendon Tyquin, Dean Foster
R: Adrian Devereaux, Joe Thompson, Jay Pitto
Int: Jordan Ngawati, Timothy Conway, Jed Ritchie
In: Lee Jackson
Out: Khai Collins, Ayden Mines
Navarre v Avoca
Reigning premiers Navarre has taken all before them this season, and is expected to continue on its winning way when it tackles the winless Avoca Bulldogs at Navarre on Saturday.
Avoca has found the loss of its midfield from last season to be too much to cover and were very disappointed to last its last two games in particular against Harcourt and Campbells Creek in games that poor starts proved to be very costly.
The Bulldogs will have to start strongly if they are to provide a competitive game against the best opponents in the league, but it will make no difference as the Navarre juggernaut continues on its winning way.
Co-coach Brent Flood has been in outstanding form this season and will be well rested after a week off due to making himself unavailable for the interleague team, so he will be very tough obstacle to bypass for the Avoca forwards.
MCDFNL leading goalkicker Ash Driscoll has kicked some big bags this season and he will prove to be a handful for Bulldog veteran Ben Howell, however Driscoll is only one of the many avenues to goal for the strong Grasshopper unit with Cody Driscoll and Kris Brennan also difficult to match up on, with the trio expected to kick a big number on Saturday.
Navarre
B: Matt Newton, Jayden Fowkes, Cody Driscoll
HB: Luke Hendy, Brent Flood, Ashley Driscoll
C: Bryce Tickner, Josh Driscoll, Ben Scott
HF: Daniel Reading, Louis Hannett, Paul Carson
F: Josh Fowkes, Kris Brennan, Nicholas Murphy
R: Rhett Murphy, Sam Kaye, Daniel Parkin
Int: Harley McKenny, Billy Parry, Samuel Robertson, Zach Parry
Emg: Aaron Slorach, Tyler Mc Sparron
In: Paul Carson, Louis Hannett
Out: Lachlan Slorach, Jesse Hannett
Avoca
To be selected from:
Jaye Farnsworth, Jamie Bertram, Ben Howell, Taylor Raine, Hugh Bucknall, Teague Wilson,
Adrian Pilgrim, Jon Goad, John Bucknall, Bryce Howell, Jesse Britton, Brad Schiltz,
Mitchell Kennedy, Thomas Nankivell, Alec Wiltshire, Cameron Holland, Joel Carter,
Murray Bond, Nolan Gould, Joel Howell, Rhys Walkley, Matt Veitch
Maldon v Carisbrook
Maldon host Carisbrook at the Bill Woodfull Reserve on Saturday and it is expected to be a one sided match with the Redbacks coming out on top by a big margin.
Carisbrook are coming off a big loss to Navarre, and are hoping to have a full list to pick from after a week’s spell due to bye for last week’s interleague match and a few players missing from the MCDFNL lineup through injury.
Maldon has had a disappointing season to date and are still yet to post their first win of the season, and the odds are in favour of Carisbrook continuing that trend for the Bombers.
Joel Cross and Hayden Kelly are the key players for the Bombers, while Kelly has been in brilliant form this season, he missed the interleague game after a broken nose kept him from selection. So he may still be vulnerable and could possibly miss this game, but more than likely will be fit after having a week off last Saturday.
Ryan Hudson-Morgan has been constantly amongst the better players this season for Carisbrook , however he’s likely to be missing for a large part of the season going forward, which means Carisbrook will be relying on the experience of players such as Nick Wright, Cole Roscholler and coach Luke Treacy to help get them back on the winners list.
Maldon
To be selected from:
Joel Cross, Brad Marron, Nicholas McKnight, Tom Cain, Michael Mulholland, Harrison Campbell, Andrew Hall, Dean Primmer, Mark Webb, Jeremy Cross, Hayden Kelly, Xavier Mawson, Braedan Turtle, Christopher Milham, Michael Rorke, Jake Elliot, Kyle Winstanley, Josh Pascoe, Bradley Simpson, Nicholas Kelly, Dyllan White, Damien Gatti
In: Tom Cain, Brad Marron, Harrison Campbell, Bradley Simpson
Out: Ben Doyle, Nicholas Thornton, Thomas Elliott, Christopher Mulholland
Carisbrook
To be selected from:
Jacob Dyer, Brady Neill, Isaac Long, Matthew Herd, Benjamin Kick, Liam Tranter,
Nathan O'Keefe, Justin Sculley, Luke Treacy, Timothy Heenan, Jakob Tidyman,
Andrew Lovett, Troy Nolan, Jonathon Gray, Stephen Marr, Liam Cunningham,
Luke Robinson, Cole Roscholler, Mark Cox, Clayton Furniss, Nichlos Wright,
Mitchell Whelan, Jarrod Burman
In: Timothy Heenan, Jakob Tidyman, Mark Cox, Matthew Herd, Luke Robinson, Benjamin Kick,
Brady Neill, Mitchell Whelan, Jarrod Burman
Out: Nick Robinson, Christopher Dunn, Matthew Wilson, Jackson Bowen, Travis Cornwill,
Ryan Hudson-Morgan, Jayden Taggart, Jeremy Mc Innes
Harcourt v Maryborough Rovers
Maryborough Rovers are yet to win a game this season, but will travel to Harcourt confident of getting their first points on the board on Saturday.
The Rovers have been the big improvers this season and despite not winning a game, they have been very difficult for clubs to put away.
Both Lexton and Newstead are considered to be top four prospects this season and Rovers were very competitive against both of these teams in recent games.
Harcourt struggled in the early part of this season, but have won their past two games which will increase their confidence and they will expect to make it three in a row on Saturday.
Unfortunately for Rovers they have lost one of their more experienced performers in Grant Ryan who broke his wrist last game, and he will be a big loss for the Magpies, but David Popovski has been a consistent contributor and will be a player that the Lions will need to watch if they are to keep their winning run going.
Lions spearhead Chris Stone returned to his dead eye form against Dunolly with an eleven goal haul last round and he will prove a handful for the Rovers defenders.
This game could very much go either way and a close finish is expected.
Harcourt
Selected Side not submitted
Maryborough Rovers
To be selected from:
Kegan Ross, Corey Wilson, Dion Hedger, Perry Turner, James Rowles, Brohdie Smyth,
Kel Chaffey-Jones, Nicholas Clark, Christopher Gunn, Karson Guareschi, Trent Monk,
Bradley Fraser, Aaron Westbrook, Scott Sellers, Steven Purtell, Andrew Nelson,
David Popovski, Ryan Guareschi, Ty Stewart, Graeme Kennedy, Daniel Rossi,
Daniel Jennison
In: Corey Wilson, Steven Purtell, Daniel Jennison
Out: Grant Ryan, Richard Phillips, Tim McLean
Talbot v Lexton
Talbot faces one of the MCDFNL's toughest tasks this week as the Hawks attempt to get their season back on track against a red-hot Lexton.
After kicking 2014 off in red-hot form, the Hawks have faltered in recent weeks, with a number of agonisingly close losses against some of the competition's top teams, and a first-half scare last round against Trentham. The form of the Hawks' key players in Matthew Smith, who was one of the MCDFNL's standouts in last week's Interleague clash, Trent Barras, who continues to impress with a new role in the midfield and the versatile Jon Arnel, would be pleasing for first-year coach Rick Andrews, but others around Talbot's standouts also need to stand up and be counted, particularly in vital clashes such as this.
The Hawk's opponents in Saturday's clash are running red-hot at the moment, with a formidable team assembled under returning coach Shane Fisher clocking up just one loss amid a string of impressive wins so far this season. A particularly pleasing aspect of the Tigers' play this season has been the spread of goalkickers, with the side no longer relying on spearhead Matt Brown to kick a winning score as players such as Ryan Wait, Justin White and James Cusack serving as alternate targets up forward.
This will be a tough task for the Talbot side, up against one of the comeptition's flag favourites in pursuit of a much-needed win and it should make for an intriguing clash.
Talbot
B: Karl Gunther, Benjamin Heathcock, Troy Cunningham
HB: Boe Gilmour, Nathan Smith, Ross Wise
C: Kane Heathcock, Matthew Smith, Luke Kemp
HF: Tylan Humm, Tom Sutherland, Trent Barras
F: Lachlan Griffiths, Joshua Parsons, Jonathon Arnel
R: Anthony Tatchell, Rowan Prentice, Timothy Solomon
Int: Kallan Boucher, Jorde Bux, James Collings, Mathew Whiteman
In: Boe Gilmour
Lexton
B: Ashley Davies, Cohan Poulton, Daniel Chester
HB: Nicholas Spolding, Thomas Fisher, Jordan Phelan
C: Dean Murray, James Templeton, Damon Aspland
HF: Justin White, Justin Hobson, Dylan Barr
F: James Morrish, Matthew Brown, Trevor Johnson
R: Nigel Reid, Lloyd Bennett, Michael Smith
Int: Timothy Oliver, Jack Faull, Joel Williams, Ryan Wait
In: Lloyd Bennett, Cohan Poulton, Thomas Fisher
Out: James Cusack, Nathan Barnes, Michael Jennings
Natte Bealiba v Trentham
Natte Bealiba will have its eyes firmly fixed on a return to the winners' list this weekend as the Swans take on Trentham following a disappointing loss to Royal Park last round.
The Swans have had a mixed start to the season thus far, and coach Shane Green will be keen for his side to right the ship with a win against the Saints on Saturday in Natte's first game at home for 2014. In a frantic final term against Royal Park last week, it was clear what the Swans were lacking was a class-act key forward, with the side still waiting on the return of star centre-half forward Mark Fitzgerald as he battles to overcome a chronic knee injury. Ruckman Lachlan Cameron, utility Zac Perez and the opportunistic Ryan Weir have been admirable in their attempts to cover for Fitzgerald's absence, but the Swans desperately need a major target at half-forward in order to get their structures right.
Saturday's clash will be no easy task for the Swans either, with Trentham undergoing a resurgence of sorts in 2014, thanks in large to a concerted recruiting effort by coach Clayton Scoble, paired with an all-out attack game plan. The recruitment of tall forward Mark Strickland has been paid dividends from round one for the Saints, with his marking and ability to bring smaller teammates into the game a key part of the Saints' game plan, while Scoble himself has also been vital for Trentham.
The Swans will start Saturday's clash as favourites, but an intriguing contest between two of the MCDFNL's most intriguing sides looms.
Natte Bealiba
To be selected from:
Brent Mortlock, Karl Morley, Kurtis Torney, Kurt Mortlock, Daniel Gifford, Matthew Stagg,
Jacob Long, Brayden Mills, Nathan Ross, Lachlan Cameron, Zachary Perez, Samuel Coloe,
Tyson Mortlock, Jamie Evans, Joshua Tong, Jared Hall, Dean Graco, Ryan Weir,
Lachlan Douglas, Christopher Jardine, Trent Mortlock, Stephen Ross
In: Daniel Gifford, Lachlan Douglas, Karl Morley, Matthew Stagg
Out: Benjamin Weir, Jason Hunt, Shane Mortlock, Thomas Hart
Trentham
B: Simon Boxall, Scott Witmitz, Luke Adams
HB: Reece Hourigan, Justin Hoffman, Jamie Cutler
C: Thomas Walker, Kasey Williams, Hayden Sundblom
HF: Matthew Sundblom, Mark Strickland, James Cann
F: Lewis Bruton, Taylor Drew, John Cowell
R: James Wicker, Matthew Traynor, Jonathon Nadin
Int: Mitchell Athorn, Elliot Drew, Michael Day, Luke Whitehouse
In: Jonathon Nadin, Thomas Walker
Out: Christopher Whelan, Josh Murphy
Newstead v Royal Park
Royal Park will face the biggest test to its unbeaten record so far this season as the Tigers come up against the white-hot Newstead at the Carisbrook Recreation Reserve this Saturday.
The Tigers are the talk of the league so far this season, thanks to 5-0 record and a spot in the league's top four. However, amid all the jubilation, the Bushy side is yet to take on any of the competition's top sides in the form of Lexton, Navarre or Newstead, and this weekend's clash will be the first chance for the Tigers to test their mettle against a serious heavyweight. Key to the Tigers' chances against the Roos will be whether they have the defenders to contain a forward line boasting three genuine key targets in Mark Ramsey, Daniel Christmas and Adrian Conn. Taylor Stewart has been an instrumental part of the Royal Park resurgence this season across half-back, but he may have to sacrifice his role as a running defender in order to take on one of Newstead's key forwards.
Newstead has quietly dismantled almost every team it has come up against so far this season and are almost flying under the radar, just the way coach Ross Smith would like it. The recruitment of Pat Cummins and the ongoing development of Ben Krol has given Smith licence to play Ramsey as a permanent key forward, a move which continues to pay dividends week in, week out, while the Steaders' solid on-ball department continues to get the job done on a weekly basis.
The Tigers may be celebrating a blemish-free record at the moment, but that could all be over come Saturday unless they can keep the wraps on Newstead's potent attack as the chance for Bushy to make its mark beckons.
Newstead
To be selected from:
Ben Krol, Liam Gervasoni, Nathan Webster, Liam Bright, Mark Ramsey, Joel Smith,
Daniel Christmas, Lachlan Chapman, Brent Devereaux, Ashley Webster,
Bradley Richardson, Mathew Merlo, Ethan Ford, Adam Hunter, Joel Pearson,
Matthew Manning, Patrick Cummins, David Wall, Shane Mcnabb, Adrian Conn,
Mitchell Woods, Tom Ruggles
In: Liam Bright, Mathew Merlo
Out: Zachary Tanner, Jayden Bott
Royal Park
B: Matthew Walker, Oliver Schmidt, Shane Gray
HB: Taylor Stewart, Zack Short, Jay Anderson
C: James Shelton, Hamish Blake, Dylan McLean
HF: Jacob Cahill, Tristan Maher, Zachary Tunbridge
F: Brendan Birch, Zachary Stewart, Jibb Iglesias
R: William Short, Trent Pye, Thomas Quick
Int: Zachary Dunne, Brendan Murdoch, Jayden Humphrey, Craig McMickan
In: Jibb Iglesias, Tristan Maher, Trent Pye
Out: Jarrod O'Connor, Sam Anderson, Ben McKay
Last Modified on 30/05/2014 13:56