Dunolly v Avoca
Avoca travel to Deledio Reserve and with both teams coming off a rest in the first week of the split round they should be well rested and could both be at full strength.
It was a very disappointing finish for the Bulldogs in their last game when they allowed Campbells Creek to storm home over the top of them with a seven goal final quarter and they will no doubt be eager to get back on the winning list.
The Bulldogs defeated Dunolly in the first game of the season, but it was only by one goal, so the Eagles will go into this game with some confidence of atoning for that defeat.
Dunolly have only had one win for the season, and recent form suggests that they will be no match for the Bulldogs on this occasion, but Dunolly and Avoca have played some close contests in recent years and with the match being played at home, this will also add to the Eagles confidence.
Dunolly are reliable on Justin Laird and when he is at his best, the Eagles are able to perform at a higher standard, so the Bulldogs will have plans to restrict his input.
One of Avoca’s weapons is their ability to share the goals around amongst a number of different players and have had ten or more goalkickers in recent games.
The Bulldogs must win to keep their slim hopes of a finals berth alive and this should be enough to see them get over the line.
Dunolly
B: Hayden Wellard, Grant Raven, Patrick McGregor
HB: Jason Haley, Jordi Philbrick, Matthew Gibbs
C: David Bilton, James Blackwell, Steven Shovan
HF: Jeremy Hancock, Peter Wytkamp, Michael Campbell
F: Justin Moore, Chris Wright, Craig Gloury
R: Justin Laird, Jamie Townsend, Joe Thompson
Int: Joshua Malcolm, Corey Dawson, Graeme Kennedy, Charlie Knowles
In: Chris Wright, Charlie Knowles, James Blackwell, Joshua Malcolm
Out: Matthew Stiles, Brendan Redpath, Bradley McHugh, Jackson Baker
Avoca
B: Taylor Hall, Jesse Britton, Toby Beavis
HB: Joel Carter, Desmond Critchley, Cameron Holland
C: James Walton, Lachlan Morganti, Daniel Howell
HF: Xavier Slater, Haydn Slater, Jackson Steel
F: Joel Howell, Ben Howell, Bryce Howell
R: Rangi Vickers, John Bucknall, Taylor Raine
Int: Devon Svilicic, Andrew Hewson, Amos Wilson, Zac Craigen
Carisbrook v Navarre
The game of the season between the two more likely Grand Final contenders is finally here and with both teams well rested from a week off, a quality game is assured at Carisbrook Recreation Reserve on Saturday.
Navarre came out victorious by 14 points in their previous encounter in the season opener at Navarre, but both teams are more seasoned as we head into the final rounds of the season.
Carisbrook has not lost a game since the season opener, while Navarre remain undefeated for their past 35 games and will no doubt be looking to continue their winning run.
The midfield battle will be a highlight of this game, with Navarre being led by Louis Hannett and Sam Kaye up against the Redbacks Lachlan Edwards and Matt Bilton and the winner of this battle could be the key to the match.
Navarre’s defence is the best in the league, a claim backed up by a glance at the MCDFNL ladder in which they’ve given up an average of just under 38 points per game. Defenders Brent Flood, Bryce Tickner and Jayden Fowkes are names that consistently appear amongst the Navarre best players and the Grasshoppers set up a lot of their forward moves out of their back half. Carisbrook have many avenues to goal with Nathan Wright and Jack Ross being key focal points, however the dangerous Matt Bilton has been used many times throughout the season and he could be the matchwinner if the Navarre defence are not at their best.
Could Navarre’s winning record be broken? Only time will tell!
Carisbrook
B: Jakob Tidyman, Kurt Bruechert, Benjamin Kick
HB: Nathan O'Keefe, Timothy Heenan, Jake Bucknall
C: Riley Herd, Nichlos Wright, Hayden Barby
HF: Jonathon Gray, Adam Hurse, Luke Treacy
F: Nathan Wright, Jack Ross, Matthew Bilton
R: Ty Stewart, Mitchell Whelan, Lachlan Edwards
Int: Matthew Jukes, Ryan Hudson-Morgan, Travis Cornwill, Ashley Robinson
Emg: Jacob Dyer
In: Benjamin Kick, Jonathon Gray
Out: Liam Mottram, Jacob Dyer
Navarre
B: Brent Flood, Josh Driscoll, Matt Newton
HB: Daniel Parkin, Zach Parry, Ben Scott
C: Danny Grellet, Sam Kaye, Lachlan Slorach
HF: Bryce Tickner, Jayden Fowkes, Billy Parry
F: Aiden Lee, Ashley Driscoll, Jesse Hannett
R: Josh Fowkes, Daniel Reading, Aaron Slorach
Int: Nicholas Murphy, Harley McKenny, Louis Hannett, Cody Driscoll
Emg: Riley Bibby, Jeremy Harrington
In: Danny Grellet
Out: Riley Bibby
Newstead v Maldon
The battle between rivals Newstead and Maldon will take place at Newstead Recreation Reserve on Saturday.
When these teams met back in round one, Maldon came out victors on that occasion, but recent form indicates that Newstead will go into this game as favourites.
The Steaders have hit some form as the season enters its final rounds with victories over Dunolly and Maryborough Rovers in their previous two games.
With a spot in the finals out of the equation for these neighboring teams, this game will be played for home pride and it is usually a close contest despite positions on the ladder.
Newstead have had very good Under 17 teams in recent seasons and the fruits of those teams are starting to ripen with youngsters such as Joel Smith, Alex Maylor and Michael Dalrymple all standing up to the rigors of senior football.
Newstead are in 12th position on the ladder while Maldon are in 13th and both teams are level on points, but the home ground will most likely be an advantage for Newstead to win their third game in a row.
Newstead
B: Matthew Hunter, Cody Kirby, Ashley Webster
HB: Adam Hunter, Dale Bott, Michael Dalrymple
C: Cameron Trait, Nathan Webster, Blake Renfrey
HF: Kaleb Mcbride, Ben Krol, Oscar Lynzaat
F: Courtney Brown, Jonty Entwisle, Alex Maylor
R: Jayden Bott, Brent Devereaux, Joel Smith
Int: Liam Gervasoni, Thomas Cahill, Joel Thomas, Rhys Smith
In: Rhys Smith, Jayden Bott, Matthew Hunter
Out: Adrian Conn, Cameron Hepburn, Scott Beames
Maldon
B: Jackson Douch, Jeremy Cross, Dean Primmer
HB: Jake Elliot, Joshua Roberts, Damien Gatti
C: Bryce Roberts, Vaughan Williams, Matthew Gray
HF: Shaun Burchell, Nicholas Kelly, Hayden Kelly
F: Kyle Winstanley, Jamie Cox, Christopher Milham
R: Michael Mulholland, Joshua Hutchinson, Nicholas McKnight
Int: Leigh Halliwell, Harley Brereton, Ashley Woodman, Isaiah Hartley
In: Jeremy Cross, Joshua Roberts, Ashley Woodman
Out: Matthew Gordon, Josh Pascoe
Natte Bealiba v Royal Park
Both Natte Bealiba and Royal Park will have finals on their mind this weekend, as both sides chase fourth place on the MCDFNL ladder.
Royal Park's mid-season slump has put them behind the eight-ball in terms of gaining a double chance come finals time, and they need to make every post a winner before the opening week of finals if they hope to claim fourth spot, beginning with this integral clash with the Swans. The return of Murray Bond has given Royal Park another avenue to goal alongside Josh Brown, and Natte's key defenders will need to make sure they keep wraps on those two, along with key midfielders Stefan Pye and Nathan Pring, who continue to feature among their side's best on a consistent basis.
Meanwhile, Natte will be rueing the one that got away, following last round's loss to Carisbrook. The Swans were on top of the Redbacks all day, up until the last 15 minutes of the fourth quarter. Swans coach Shane Green will have been thankful for week off as part of the split round, allowing some of his side's key players to recover, after Jarrod Bateson, Jack Kennedy, Matt Stagg and Dean Graco all finished their last match on the bench with injuries.
Natte Bealiba
B: Christopher Jardine, Jack Kennedy, Trent Mortlock
HB: Dean Graco, Ashley Evans, Jamie Evans
C: Brent Mortlock, Karl Morley, Daniel Gifford
HF: Matthew Stagg, Kurt Mortlock, Zachary Perez
F: Jarrod Graco, Adrian Pilgrim, Brayden Mills
R: Lachlan Cameron, Jacob Long, Thomas Douglas
Int: Ryan Weir, Stephen Ross, Michael Columbro, Jarrod Bateson
Royal Park
B: James Lindeback, Chris Cowan, Zachary Dunne
HB: Jay Anderson, Zachary Tunbridge, Taylor Stewart
C: Brendan Murdoch, Murray Bond, Hamish Blake
HF: Jacob Cahill, Zachary Stewart, Stefan Pye
F: Michael Noonan, Joshua Brown, Jake Pring
R: James Sutherland, Trent Pye , Ben Clay
Int: Christopher Morley, William Short, Trent Baird, Lawrence Perks
In: Brendan Murdoch, Trent Pye
Out: Ross Waters, Bradley Allan
Last Modified on 07/08/2015 13:16