MCDFNL Match Previews – Round 3
Harcourt v Avoca
Avoca travel to meet the undefeated Harcourt on Saturday and the Lions should be favoured after starting the season in very good form with wins over Trentham and Dunolly.
Sean Smith has bolstered the Lions with a number of recruits that he brought with him back to the Den. The loss of key ruckman Kris Davis has been very well covered with the inclusion of Adam Pollock who is also very potent around the goal mouth and finished with five goals last week against Dunolly. Avoca full back Ben Howell will have his hands full against the giant Pollock, while the Lions have other avenues to goal through the high flying Joel Smith and veteran forward Chris Stone.
Avoca expect to go into the match without Michael Henningsen and possibly Greg Hewson who are both very important midfielders for the Bulldogs, which could be exacerbated by in-form Harcourt midfielder Paul Chaplin who will be a key player to stop if the Bulldogs wish to control any advantage through the midfield.
The Bulldogs struggled on the scoreboard against Natte-Bealiba last Sunday, but the pressure they applied throughout the game resulted in a number of turnovers and missed shots at goal by the Swans key forwards. If they can apply the same pressure in this game, then they are a chance to cause an upset, but the Lions will definitely be preferred at home.
Harcourt
B: Christopher Ling, Kyle McLean, Alan Mack
HB: Sean Moss, Joshua Collinson, Liam Kerkvliet
C: Brendan Josey, Paul Chaplin, Nathan Mitchell
HF: Sam Gale, Jack Douglass, James Gale
F: Joel Smith, Christopher Stone, Daniel Smith
R: Adam Pollock, Adam Ward, Jeffrey McMurtrie
Int: Christopher Smart, Harrison Weppner, Andrew Chapman, Scott Jordan
In: Brendan Josey, Harrison Weppner
Out: Jackson McMahon, Sean Smith
Avoca
B: Toby Beavis, Tyson Wardlaw, Jesse Britton
HB: Hugh Bucknall, Devon Svilcic, Joel Carter
C: Taylor Hall, John Bucknall, Mark Carter
HF: Bryce Howell, Ben Howell, Cameron Holland
F: Paul Loaney, Joel Howell, Daniel Howell
R: Lachlan Morganti, Jacob Nicholson, Taylor Raine
Int: Haydn Slater, Xavier Slater, James Walton, Mark Suckling
In: Mark Carter
Out: Desmond Critchley
Trentham v Campbells Creek
The Trentham Saints are up and about after posting their first win of the season under lights against Talbot last Saturday evening.
It was a very tight contest throughout the game with less than eight points separating the teams at each break in play and it was only in the final term that the Saints managed to slip away from the Hawks to eventually win by 13 points.
Justin Hoffman and Luke Whitehouse are the key scoring avenues for the Saints and it is expected that the Creekers defenders will be keeping a close eye on these two forwards.
Campbells Creek bounced back onto the winners list last Sunday winning by a big margin over the sliding Newstead who are yet to win a game in the 2015 season.
Winning by such a big margin will certainly boost the confidence of the Creekers, but Trentham under their home lights may be a difficult chore to overcome.
Jye Cartledge has been a good recruit for Creek figuring amongst their top best players in the first two games of the year as has the speedy Brandon Greenwood so the Saints will need to keep some pressure on these two key players to finish on the winning list.
This could be the match of the round and would not surprise if either team wins their second game in a row.
Trentham
B: Brok Wightman, Jonathon Nadin, Paul Smith
HB: James Gray, Jamie Cutler, Brendan James
C: Hayden Sundblom, Christopher Whelan, Elliot Drew
HF: Lewis Bruton, Taylor Drew, Luke Adams
F: Kasey Williams, Justin Hoffman, Lucas Byrne
R: James Wicker, Mark Strickland, Ross Moloney
Int: Reece Hourigan, Daniel Lendrec, Jake Keogh, Jack Hayward
In: Reece Hourigan, Jack Hayward
Out: Luke Whitehouse, Curtis McNamara
Campbells Creek
B: Luke Pritchard, Chris Klimeck, Shannon Berriman
HB: Matthew Lorenz, Ross Slater, Brett Thomson
C: Tim Conder, James Boag, Matthew Halacas
HF: Davin Nicholls, Luke Ashmore, Jye Cartledge
F: Shaun Boag, Mark Ashmore, Glen Wallis
R: Jayden Molloy, Daniel Klimeck, Brandon Greenwood
Int: Rhys Griffiths, Liam Stubbings, Jayson Gilbert, Brayden Beer
In: Rhys Griffiths, Jayden Molloy, Luke Ashmore, Liam Stubbings, Glen Wallis
Out: Cody Adamson, Dylan Gordois, Cordie McKendry, Ryan Jeffrey, Anthony Taylor
Talbot v Lexton
Lexton would have to be considered one of the premiership fancies and make the short trip over to Talbot this week, who are yet to post a win so far this season and it is difficult to see them turning things around against the in-form Tigers.
The Hawks may have lost their first two encounters so far, however they are playing better football than their record would indicate, but have failed to run out games after Rovers over-ran them in Round 1, and Trentham outlasted them in the final term last Saturday.
Liam Belcher has been the star recruit for the Hawks with two best player awards to date and he will have to be at his best against the quality midfield of the opposition. Lexton rotate a number of players through the middle, with none better than 2014 Berry Powell Medalist Damon Aspland who always rises to the challenge.
Michael Smith has figured amongst the better players for the Tigers to date as has big Nigel Reid in the ruck and Matt Brown returned to key goal kicking post with five goals last Sunday and is always difficult to control.
The Tigers should remain undefeated but may not get it all their own way.
Talbot
B: Kane Heathcock, Josh Sullivan, Daniel Romeo
HB: Matthew Smith, Timothy Carroll, Matthew Lewis
C: Matthew Gayton, Luke Kemp, Mathew Whiteman
HF: Jonathon Arnel, Tom Sutherland, Jorde Bux
F: Brendon Shine, Bradley Coffey, Ross Wise
R: Robert Conroy, Trent Barras, Drew Hancock
Int: Liam Belcher, Lachlan Griffiths, James Collings, Kallan Boucher
In: James Collings, Kallan Boucher
Out: Jarrod Kemp, Timothy Solomon
Lexton
B: Dylan Barr, Matthew Brown, Lachlan Murray
HB: Joshua McVitty, Riley Browne, Liam Cullinan
C: James Templeton, Luke Evans, James Morrish
HF: Mitchell Kennedy, Tim Buby, Nicholas Spolding
F: Jordan Phelan, Ryan Wait, Jordan Egan
R: Nathan Barnes, Bryce Karslake, Justin White
Int: Scott Clark, Michael Smith, Nigel Reid, Damon Aspland
In: Lachlan Murray
Out: Jacob Spolding
Newstead v Carisbrook
Carisbrook will have its sights set on inflicting as much as damage as possible when it comes up against a struggling Newstead.
The Redbacks notched their first win of season 2015 last round when it defeated Royal Park, and Tim McKay's side will be out to improve its record to 2-1 as it prepares to confront the floundering Roos. While in seasons past, this game would have had the entire MCDFNL waiting to see who won a clash between two sides long considered competition powerhouses, the Roos' mass exodus of players this season have seen the young Steaders side on the receiving end of some heavy defeats, including a thrashing from Campbells Creek last round - the first time the Creekers have defeated Newstead in almost 20 years.
The Redbacks put in an impressive, if unspectacular, performance against Royal Park, and if early indications prove correct, the Brookers will again be a team to beat in 2015. The return of Nathan Wright gave the Redbacks a main target up forward, particularly given the loss of Liam Cunningham to a shoulder injury, while the early season form of key midfield components Matt Bilton, Lachlan Edwards and Cole Roscholler suggests they will be among the competition's best centre square set-ups in 2015.
As expected, Newstead has heavily relied on Adrian Conn to shoulder much of the workload as a key forward, but his absence down back leaves the Roos stretched thinly. Coach Nathan Webster outlined a youth policy before the seasons tarted in an effort to get some of his club's young stars used to senior football, and so far, that's been the case for the Steaders, with players like Michael Dalrymple and Brad Richardson stepping up to the task in the opening rounds.
The Roos will be up against it on Saturday, tasked with taking on one of the MCDFNL's benchmarks, and it could turn ugly for the Steaders.
Newstead
B: Dale Bott, Cody Kirby, Ashley Webster
HB: Brent Devereaux, Ben Krol, Blake Renfrey
C: Adam Hunter, Patrick Cummins, Joel Pearson
HF: Bradley Richardson, Jonty Entwisle, Matthew Hunter
F: Jordan Long, Scott Beames, Joel Smith
R: Michael Dalrymple, Courtney Brown, Cameron Hepburn
Int: Bryan Elliott, Zachary Tanner, Oscar Lynzaat, Ricky Bastin
In: Bryan Elliott, Zachary Tanner, Patrick Cummins, Jonty Entwisle, Ben Krol, Matthew Hunter,Courtney Brown
Out: Kyle Hamilton, Jacob Dalrymple, Cameron Trait, Adrian Conn, Steven Pollard, Liam Gervasoni, Sam Daldy
Carisbrook
B: Jonathon Gray, Hayden Barby, Jakob Tidyman
HB: Jake Bucknall, Kurt Bruechert, Jayden Taggart
C: Riley Herd, Luke Treacy, Jacob Dyer
HF: Liam Tranter, Adam Hurse, Matthew Jukes
F: Timothy McKay, Nathan Wright, Matthew Bilton
R: Brady Neill, Cole Roscholler, Lachlan Edwards
Int: Ty Stewart, Ryan Cash, Mitchell Whelan
In: Jayden Taggart, Jake Bucknall
Out: Ashley Robinson, Nathan O'Keefe, Jordan Bolding
Navarre v Natte Bealiba
Natte Bealiba will put its winning form up against the MCDFNL's ultimate test on Saturday, with the undefeated Swans set to take on a rampaging Navarre.
The Swans will be up against it as they prepare to head to the Grasshoppers' home turf, with Navarre now boasting a hot streak of 24 games straight without a loss, however Natte has traditionally been a side which has caused the reigning premiers more than a few headaches, and Saturday's clash has all the hallmarks of yet another thriller between these two sides.
The match-up between the two sides' midfields boasts some of the competition's most exciting players, with Navarre's Daniel Parkin, Josh Driscoll and Bryce Tickner set to go up against Stephen Ross, Brent Mortlock, Jacob Long and new inclusion, Jarred Bateson.
In fact, right across the ground, there are pivotal battles set to be fought out, and the winners of these individual clashes will go a long way to deciding Saturday's result, with Chris Jardine set to battle it out with Ash Driscoll in the Hoppers' forward line, while Natte will be hoping the height of Adrian Pilgrim, Zac Perez and Lachlan Cameron will stretch Navarre's back line.
If the Swans are hoping to provide a premiership threat to Navarre's dominance, Saturday would be an ideal time to fire a warning shot against the Grasshoppers.
Navarre
B: Jayden Fowkes, Brent Flood, Matt Newton
HB: Aaron Slorach, Lachlan Slorach, Josh Fowkes
C: Bryce Tickner, Sam Kaye, Billy Parry
HF: Nicholas Murphy, Daniel Reading, Kris Brennan
F: Jesse Hannett, Ashley Driscoll, Cody Driscoll
R: Rhett Murphy, Louis Hannett, Daniel Parkin
Int: Ben Scott, Riley Bibby, Aiden Lee, Shaun Clohesy
Emg: Thomas Hannett, Joshua Rathgeber
In: Ben Scott, Riley Bibby,
Out: Harley McKenny, Thomas Hannett
Natte Bealiba
Selected side not submitted
Maldon v Dunolly
Maldon will have its sights fixed on boasting a 2-1 record after Saturday's clash with a floundering Dunolly in round four of the MCDFNL.
The Dons have bounced back so far this season following a disappointing 2014 season, with some key inclusions helping them to an opening round win over Newstead, and not too much can be read into last week's against a red-hot Lexton, with Dons doing enough to prove that they are a side on the rise. In particular, the return of former premiership coach and Berry-Powell medallist Shaun Burchell has helped to shore up the midfield, complementing the running power of Hayden Kelly and Tom Cain.
Dunolly is yet to notch a win in season 2015, and the continued absence of Justin Laird, who is still serving a four-week suspension for rough conduct, is undoubtedly affecting the Eagles' set-up, despite the best efforts of long-time servants Jamie Townsend, Brad Schodde and Joe Thompson. If the Eagles want to show that they're also a side on the up, they need to find some consistency from its second tier players in order to counteract the attacking threats of opposition sides.
Maldon
B: Mark Webb, Jamie Cox, Nicholas Kelly
HB: Matthew Gray, Michael Mulholland, Vaughan Williams
C: Bryce Roberts, Hayden Kelly, Matthew Thompson
HF: Joshua Roberts, Luke Davey, Christopher Milham
F: Marc Carroll, Joshua Hutchinson, Kyle Winstanley
R: Josh Pascoe, Shaun Burchell, Joel Cross
Int: Jake Elliot, Dean Primmer, Lachie Josey, Nicholas Petersen
In: Dean Primmer
Out: Jeremy Cross
Dunolly
B: Hayden Wellard, Grant Raven, Justin Moore
HB: Michael Campbell, Jordi Philbrick, Jordan Fraser
C: Matthew Gibbs, Chris Wright, Steven Shovan
HF: Joshua Malcolm, Peter Wytkamp, Jamie Townsend
F: Tony Bellenger, Jeremy Hancock, Adam Wright
R: Cameron Anscombe, Joe Thompson, Jackson Baker
Int: Bradley McHugh, Dean Foster, Brendan Redpath, Corey Dawson
In: Tony Bellenger, Bradley McHugh, Dean Foster, Joshua Malcolm
Out: Tristan Tack, Bradley Schodde, Ryan O'Keeffe, Matthew Reyment
Royal Park v Maryborough Rovers.
Hedges Oval is the venue for the Maryborough Derby between Royal Park and Maryborough Rovers on Sunday
The Tigers have recruited strongly but are yet to win a game after losing to Natte Bealiba and Carisbrook in the early part of the season.
The Tigers will fancy their chances against the Maryborough Rovers, but it can be considered a danger game as the Rovers proved to be formidable opponents at times against the strong Navarre combination last week, and opened with a very impressive performance in Round 1 against the Hawks.
Royal Park proved to be a very competitive unit in the second half against the Redbacks under lights last Saturday evening and should go into this match as favourites. Murray Bond managed to score three goals against the Redbacks and will most likely be matched up on by Brad Fraser who is one of the better defenders in the league, while down the other end, it is imperative that Karson Guareschi provides a goal scoring option for Rovers to have any chance of winning the derby.
Bryce Fletcher and Dylan Gibson gather plenty of possessions at ground level for Rovers but will find Ash Noonan and Brendan Murdoch will provide plenty of run carry for the Tigers, and should be able to sway the odds in favour of the Tigers.
A great contest is assured on Sunday at Hedges Oval.
Royal Park
B: James Lindeback, Jay Anderson, Zachary Dunne
HB: Taylor Stewart, William Short, Christopher Morley
C: Shane Gray, Trent Pye, Murray Bond
HF: Jake Pring, Jacob Cahill, Zachary Tunbridge
F: Brendan Murdoch, Zachary Stewart, Joshua Brown
R: James Sutherland, Ashley Noonan, Stefan Pye
Int: Matthew Walker, Ben Clay, Sam Anderson, Michael Noonan
In: Christopher Morley, Trent Pye
Out: Ashley Hardy, Hamish Blake
Maryborough Rovers
B: Christopher Gunn, Bradley Fraser, Daniel Jennison
HB: David Popovski, Kel Chaffey-Jones, Scott Sellers
C: Karson Guareschi, Ryan Guareschi, Brett Monk
HF: Richard Phillips, Aaron Westbrook, Dylan Gibson
F: Adam Mclean, Brendon Hedger, Grant Ryan
R: Dion Hedger, Brayden Guareschi, Bryce Fletcher
Int: Sam Burton, Brohdie Smyth, Tristan Knights, Danny Whitnall
In: Danny Whitnall, Grant Ryan
Out: Corey Wilson, Justin Peck
Last Modified on 01/05/2015 12:42