Talbot v Harcourt
Harcourt travels to Talbot on Sunday looking to leap-frog Talbot and Campbells Creek and move into seventh place on the Bendigo Bank MCDFNL ladder.
Talbot currently sits in eight position, ahead of Harcourt on percentage, while Campbells Creek is ahead of both Talbot and Harcourt in seventh position.
Harcourt had a slow start to the season but has been building in recent weeks and despite coming off a loss to Natte Bealiba last round, they showed plenty of spirit in that match and it was only in the final term that the Swans were able to break free after a two point margin separated the teams at three quarter time. The Lions also showed the same type of tenacity the previous week against Lexton so will be confident of a good showing in this match against the Hawks.
Talbot has had an up and down season and played in some very close contests recently, narrowly defeating Rovers and just losing to Royal Park and Newstead. They allowed Newstead to get off to a good start last week and were trailing by six goals at quarter time, but showed their fighting qualities when they outscored the Steaders for the remainder of the game, only to fall short at the final siren by 13 points.
Harcourt may have an advantage with Kris Davis in the ruck as this is an area that Talbot may be lacking, and Paul Chaplin’s clearance work makes them a formidable duo for the Lions, while Matt Smith’s pace around the ground for Talbot sets up a lot of forward entries, and Trent Barras is in very good form and is a proven match winner for the Hawks.
A close game that could go either way, but the home venue may favour the Hawks narrowly.
Talbot
To be selected from:
Kane Heathcock, James Collings, Lachlan Griffiths, Bradley Fleming, Matthew Smith, Josh Sullivan, Timothy Solomon, Nathan Smith, Trent Barras, Tom Sutherland, Benjamin Heathcock, Ricky Andrews, Jonathon Arnel, Luke Kemp, Mathew Whiteman, Troy Cunningham, Ross Wise, Stephen Larkin, Rowan Prentice, Kallan Boucher, Karl Gunther, Jorde Bux
In: Josh Sullivan, Jonathon Arnel
Out: Anthony Tatchell
Harcourt
B: Alex Birch, Paul Chaplin, Darren Colley
HB: Christopher Smart, Michael Dwyer, Kris Davis
C: Sam Gale, Daniel Smith, Brendan Josey
HF: Kyle McLean, Paul McKay, Timothy Faliszewski
F: Alexander Purdon, Brayden Wootton, Jackson McMahon
R: Nicholas Matricardi, Christopher Ling, Justin Michielsen
Int: Dean Watson, Christopher Stone, Lachlan Van Schaik, Nathan West
In: Nicholas Matricardi, Justin Michielsen, Michael Dwyer, Timothy Faliszewski
Out: Adrian Hicks, Tristan Straw, Jordan Gartside, Justin Trevan
Newstead v Maryborough Rovers
Newstead host Maryborough Rovers this Saturday and will be hoping to have some of their key players back in as the finals are drawing closer.
The Steaders had to hold off a fast finishing Talbot last week, which was not made any easier without Daniel Christmas and Adrian Conn, but young Michael Dalrymple was one that stood up to the pressure and Ethan Ford and David Wall are suited to football in wet conditions, and will be looking to lead from the front again as they face Rovers on the rebound.
Early in the season Rovers showed a lot of promise, but they have lost their past four games and were overrun in the dying stages to allow Dunolly their first win of the season last week.
This would be very disturbing for Rovers players and supporters alike, especially as they were in winning positions in their past two games and failed to maintain the upper hand.
If Newstead are still without some of their key players, then Rovers will have a chance to cause an upset, especially if Karson Guareschi brings his A game. Guareschi was not at his best last week, and will most likely be looking to improve on his performance and provide some tougher opposition this week. Nick Clark and Brodie Smyth are suited at ground level and will also add some run for the Rovers.
The home ground should see Newstead have a win, but if Rovers key players play to their potential, then it may not be as one sided as some would think.
Newstead
To be selected from:
Joel Pearson, Matthew Manning, Patrick Cummins, David Wall, Adrian Conn, Mitchell Woods, Jonty Entwisle, Jacob Dalrymple, Dale Bott, Mitchell Gilboy, Cameron Hepburn, Ben Krol, Bryan Elliott, Nathan Webster, Michael Dalrymple, Daniel Christmas, Joel Smith, Brent Devereaux, Ashley Webster, Bradley Richardson, Mathew Merlo, Zachary Tanner, Ethan Ford, Adam Hunter, Jayden Bott
In: Matthew Manning, Brent Devereaux, Daniel Christmas, Jonty Entwisle, Adrian Conn, Mitchell Woods
Out: Liam Bright, Tom Ruggles, Lachlan Chapman
Maryborough Rovers
To be selected from:
Kel Chaffey-Jones, Tristan Knights, Christopher Gunn, Perry Turner, Trent Monk, Brohdie Smyth,Nicholas Clark, Karson Guareschi, Richard Phillips, Bradley Fraser, Aaron Westbrook, Scott Sellers, David Popovski, Ryan Guareschi, Ty Stewart, Graeme Kennedy, Kyle Pedder, Kegan Ross, Dylan Smith, Dion Hedger, Matthew Stiles, James Rowles, Brendon Hedger
In: Kyle Pedder, Dylan Smith
Out: Corey Wilson
Navarre v Campbells Creek
The last time Navarre and Campbells Creek met was back in round four when Navarre ran riot and won by 105 points.
More of the same is expected at Navarre on Saturday as the Grasshoppers are taking all before them, and it is difficult to see anyone outside the top four having the firepower to topple the ladder leaders.
Coincidentally, the last team to kick a score of more than ten goals against the Grasshoppers, was Campbells Creek, but in a free flowing game, Navarre scored twenty seven goals which showed a lack of defensive pressure from the Creekers.
Sean Smith has been absent for the past couple of games and his onfield leadership has been missed, but Josh Hutchinson is more than capable as a midfield leader, but will have a tough workout against the best midfield unit in the League.
Kris Brennan missed last week as Navarre gave Royal Park a football lesson, but his shoes were well filled by the mercurial Ben Scott, who kicked a bag of five goals.
Creek pushed Lexton till half time last week, but will need to play for four quarters if they are to have any chance at all of stopping the Navarre juggernaut.
Navarre
B: Cody Driscoll, Paul Carson, Matt Newton
HB: Ashley Driscoll, Lachlan Slorach, Daniel Reading
C: Ben Scott, Tom Kaye, Bryce Tickner
HF: Louis Hannett, Harley McKenny, Brian Lovison
F: Nicholas Murphy, Aaron Slorach, Josh Driscoll
R: Rhett Murphy, Sam Kaye, Aiden Lee
Int: Tyler Mc Sparron, Jayden Fowkes, Nigel Greenaway, Zach Parry
Emg: Thomas Hannett, Riley Bibby
In: Aaron Slorach
Out: Luke Hendy
Campbells Creek
B: Shannon Berriman, Shane O'Toole, Matthew Lorenz
HB: Daniel Klimeck, Shaun Boag, Brett Thomson
C: Joshua Hutchinson, Cody Adamson , Jayden Molloy
HF: John Prendergast, Jayson Gilbert, Jarrod Hodoras
F: James Boag, Matthew McLean, Aaron Murray
R: Adam Pollock, Ross Slater, Joshua Adamson
Int: Nathan Stubbings, Davin Nicholls, Sean Moss
In: Shaun Boag, Cody Adamson, Ross Slater, Aaron Murray
Out: Chris Robertson, Joshua Mandson, Troy McLean, Brandon Greenwood, Cordie McKendry
Carisbrook v Avoca
The Avoca Bulldogs are on a roll, having won their past three games in a row, but face a tough contest this week when they journey to Carisbrook to take on the third placed Redbacks.
Carisbrook has had their fair share of injuries this season and Brandon McRedmond can be added to the list after receiving a broken jaw in last week’s encounter with Trentham, but Carisbrook has a lot of depth and this will give an opportunity for one of their younger players to step up, with 2013 Berry Powell Medallist Matt Bilton finally making his return game after being cleared back on the clearance deadline.
Avoca played Carisbrook back in Round seven and on that occasion the Redbacks won in a convincing manner, but since then Avoca has had three wins and will be confident of a much improved showing on this occasion.
The Bulldogs will need to have a plan to cover Liam Cunningham who is taking every opportunity to impress as he has kicked a number of bags in recent weeks and is sitting third on the Goal Kicking table. Murray Bond has been very impressive for Avoca since being moved to the midfield and has the ability to turn a game, but he will have some much tougher opposition this week as Carisbrook is a far superior team to what the Bulldogs have faced in recent weeks.
Despite Avoca’s recent good form, Carisbrook should have the upper hand at the final siren.
Carisbrook
B: Mitchell Whelan, Scott Adam, Clayton Furniss
HB: Nick Robinson, Travis Cornwill, Scott Adam
C: Timothy Heenan, Benjamin Kick, Jonathon Gray
HF: Andrew Lovett, Liam Cunningham, Matthew Bilton
F: Brady Neill, Nathan O'Keefe, Jackson Bowen
R: Luke Robinson, Cole Roscholler, Justin Sculley
Int: Luke Treacy, Jakob Tidyman, Nichlos Wright, Stephen Marr, Mark Cox
In: Nick Robinson, Clayton Furniss, Scott Adam, Matthew Bilton
Out: Christopher Dunn, Isaac Long, Brayden Collicoat, Brandon McRedmond
Avoca
To be selected from:
Jaye Farnsworth, Taylor Raine, Ben Howell, Luke Bertram, Hugh Bucknall, Bryce Howell, Adrian Pilgrim, Ashley Wardlaw, John Bucknall, Brad Schiltz, Jesse Britton, Mitchell Kennedy, Thomas Nankivell, Alec Wiltshire, Cameron Holland, Joel Carter, Jacob Glen, Murray Bond, Nolan Gould, Joel Howell, Matt Veitch, Tyson Wardlaw, Brady Williams, Joshua Williams
In: Tyson Wardlaw, Ashley Wardlaw
Maldon v Dunolly
Dunolly will have the rare chance to score two victories in as many weeks on Saturday, with the Eagles set to take on a winless Maldon in round 12 of the Bendigo Bank MCDFNL.
Fresh off the back of a one-goal win over Rovers, which the first of the season for the Eagles, Dunolly will now back its chances against the Dons, who look to have hit rock bottom in 2014, a far cry from the halcyon days of the 2010 premiership, and an unfamiliar position for the MCDFNL's second-most successful club. Dunolly will look to the likes of Jamie Townsend, Jay Pitto, Joe Thompson and Jesse Olsen to carry the workload for the Eagles again this weekend, after the midfield quartet played a vital role in the last-gasp win over Rovers last Saturday. While a victory will do little to improve the Eagles' ladder position, it would a vital morale boost for one of the competition's struggling sides.
However Maldon will view Saturday's clash with the Eagles as its best opportunity to break through for a debut victory of its own. While the Dons are yet to record a win, they do have the talent capable of doing so, it is just a matter of all the parts combining on the day. Going against Maldon is the fact that the game will be played on the Eagles' home turf, robbing the Dons of the advantage of playing on their notoriously small home turf, one of the toughest grounds for visiting teams to play on in the league.
Maldon
To be selected from:
Nicholas McKnight, Matthew Gordon, Michael Mulholland, Luke Davey, Andrew Hall, Dean Primmer, Mark Webb, Xavier Mawson, Hayden Kelly, Braedan Turtle, Ben Doyle, Christopher Milham, Michael Rorke, Jake Elliot, Kyle Winstanley, Josh Pascoe, Nicholas Kelly, Jackson Douch, Christopher Mulholland, Dyllan White, Damien Gatti, Joel Cross
In: Joel Cross, Matthew Gordon, Luke Davey, Jackson Douch
Out: Brad Marron, Bradley Simpson, Jason Mills, James Webb
Dunolly
B: Dean Foster, Harry Warren, Hayden Wellard
HB: Justin Moore, Grant Raven, Timothy Conway
C: Jayden Wintle, Tony Bellenger, Michael Campbell
HF: Patrick McGregor, Lee Jackson, Joe Thompson
F: David Jackson, Jesse Olsen, Timothy Britton
R: Dylan Gordois, Jay Pitto, Jamie Townsend
Int: James Thomas, Devin Gordois, Bradley Schodde
In: Bradley Schodde, Jayden Wintle, James Thomas, Devin Gordois
Out: Zac Moore, Jordan Ngawaei, Matthew Halacas, Mitchell Harper, Kane Heaney
Trentham v Natte Bealiba
Natte Bealiba will face a frosty visit to Trentham as the Swans seek the chance to break into the competition's top four.
The Swans are lurking just outside the competition's quartet of leaders, but need to keep racking up the wins in order to break in to that group. They will carry the confidence from the team's meeting earlier this year in round six, which saw Natte get up by 50 points over the Saints. Another bonus for the Swans is the form of small forward Ryan Weir, who has booted 30 goals so far this season, which puts him in eighth place on the MCDFNL goalkicking tally. Weir's proficiency both in the air and at ground level make him a tough match-up for any defender, and he is one Natte player the Saints must set their sights on stopping in order to cause an upset.
Trentham's season has continued its downward spiral after a promising start to the season, with the Saints losing all of their past five games by margins of 30 or more. Trentham coach Clayton Scoble will be keen to arrest that slump, but will struggle to do so against a Swans side which is seemingly bound to play a big part in this year's MCDFNL finals series.
Trentham
B: Scott Witmitz, Reece Hourigan, Luke Adams
HB: Josh Murphy, Jamie Cutler, Brok Wightman
C: Lewis Bruton, Callan Wellings, Elliot Drew
HF: John Cowell, Mark Strickland, Justin Hoffman
F: James Gray, Shaun Harrison, Christopher Whelan
R: James Wicker, Luke Whitehouse, Kasey Williams
Int: Matthew Traynor, Hayden Sundblom, James Cann. Jonathon Nadin
In: Christopher Whelan, Callan Wellings
Out: Simon Boxall, Thomas Walker
Natte Bealiba
To be selected from:
Stephen Ross, Thomas Douglas, Brent Mortlock, Karl Morley, Kurtis Torney, Kurt Mortlock,
Jacob Long, Matthew Stagg, Nathan Ross, Jason Hunt, Zachary Perez, Brayden Mills,
Lachlan Cameron, Tyson Mortlock, Jamie Evans, Joshua Tong, Jared Hall, Dean Graco,
Ryan Weir, Christopher Jardine, Alexander Banko, Trent Mortlock
In: Jason Hunt, Kurt Mortlock
Out: Robert Ward, Samuel Coloe
Lexton v Royal Park
Royal Park will confront the spectre of an 89-point round seven thrashing as Bushy and Lexton face off in the second battle of the Tigers for the 2014 MCDFNL season.
Lexton inflicted Royal Park's first loss of the season back in round seven, and while the Hedges Oval-based Tigers will be keen to reverse that result in Saturday's clash, they come up against one of the formidable formlines in the competition, with Lexton boasting an 11-game winning streak, and seemingly set on a collision course with an equally rampant Navarre. After a brilliant start to the season, the Tigers' form has trailed off somewhat, and coach Greg Stewart will be keen to kickstart his side again in the run to this year's finals series.
Lexton is undoubtedly Navarre's number one threat for the 2014 premiership, with the Tigers a far improved outfit in comparison to the side which contested last year's grand final. Lexton's biggest threat is its even spread of goalkickers, which makes the function of its forward line more unpredictable, rather than simply targeting Matt Brown during every forward entry.
Lexton
B: Ashley Davies, Michael Jennings, Jordan Phelan
HB: Nicholas Spolding, Ryan Wait, Lachlan Murray
C: James Templeton, Nathan Barnes, Daniel Chester
HF: Lachlan Pryor, Justin Hobson, James Cusack
F: Justin White, Matthew Brown, Cohan Poulton
R: Nigel Reid, Trevor Johnson, Damon Aspland
Int: Michael Smith, Matthew Torpey, Thomas Fisher, Timothy Oliver
In: Nicholas Spolding, Ryan Wait, Nathan Barnes
Out: Jack Faull, Daniel Foster, Lloyd Bennett
Royal Park
B: Matthew Walker, Ben McKay, James Shelton
HB: Taylor Stewart, William Short, Jay Anderson
C: Zachary Dunne, Trent Pye, Thomas Quick
HF: Shane Gray, Zachary Tunbridge, Jarrod O’Connor
F: Brendan Murdoch, Zachary Stewart, Hamish Blake
R: Dylan McLean, Zack Short , Brendan Birch
Int: Craig McMickan, Matthew Burton, Kayne Wilson. Jacob Cahill
In: Matthew Burton, Kayne Wilson
Out: Daniel Moore, Jayden Humphrey
Last Modified on 18/07/2014 16:57