AFL North Coast- Round 10 Preview
Coffs Swans v North Coffs
The next instalment of the fierce local derby will take place at Fitzroy Oval, with both sides buoyant after important wins last week.
North Coffs reclaimed second with an impressive performance against Port Macquarie at home. It was a gritty performance by the Kangaroos and will head into this clash with renewed confidence.
Josh Drum led by example in the midfield and has been finding more of the ball in recent weeks.
Their men deep at either end were also pivotal to the result last weekend. Ben Sykes was a reliable figurepoint up forward, and while he only kicked a couple of goals himself, he regularly created opportunities for the small forwards.
After some criticism in this column, Kurt Connelly responded well and did the job on Port’s main man, Michael Kemp in the last line of defence.
The Swans, admittedly were not at their best but left Macksville with a crucial win that consolidated fourth spot.
They will need to improve markedly in this match and leading into the finals but the signs of improvement are there to see from the start of the season.
The return of Darby Pearce gives the Swans greater strength in the midfield. He is forming a good partnership with Kris Rundell in the middle-third and both are fundamental to the Swans chances going forward.
Ben Miller can provide the Swans impetus in the ruck, while Evan Duryea has been in goalkicking form and gives the Swans a much-needed target in the forward line.
To win, the Swans will need to win the hard ball, and that is easier said than done against the likes of the battle-hardened Kangaroos midfield division of Drum, Brad Giri and Greg Jarman.
Port Macquarie v Sawtell/Toormina
This is an interesting clash with Sawtell arguably facing their greatest challenge yet this season to secure the four points.
The road trip to Port Macquarie does strange things to some teams, with the form guide often meaning nothing in the end result.
Sawtell are flying as a club this season and have not yet lost a game in any grade. Their resources will be stretched by having to field all three grades at Stuart Park.
The Saints were patchy but still won by a century against Grafton at home last week. Again their young brigade starred, taking the focus off the older heads like Luke Matthews and Mark Couzens.
Ben Hooke will have to work hard for his goals against one of the best defences in the League. Craig Dicker will probably get the job on the leading goalkicker and the duel could well decide the result.
Fellow defender, Greg Dean was one of the Magpies’ down on their usual output last week away to North Coffs. Dean will need to be more prominent, especially if the home side are missing Dean Nankervill.
The midfield was also second to the contested ball. Matthew Lill worked hard but the absence of captain, Shannon Skreja hurt their cause. The Magpies’ inability to win the hard ball also contributed to their ill-discipline as the contest progressed.
By no means are Port out of the race for a top two berth and this match offers the perfect opportunity to build momentum for the last half of the season.
Grafton v Nambucca Valley
The final match of the round features the two cellar-dwellars facing off at Ellem Oval.
Both sides after promising starts have enduring long-lasting winless runs. Grafton have not won since the second round, while Nambucca Valley slipped further out of the top four after losing to the Swans last week.
Nambucca Valley has been blessed with good numbers this year and made the tough-lined stance to leave out star midfielder, Luke Benson, ahead of their two-goal loss to the Swans.
The Lions should have the class to win the match with Justin Saker making an impressive upon his return to the coast. However, he was outshone by Aaron Clarke, who almost single-handedly got his side over the line with a six-goal virtuoso.
Grafton need a team performance to overcome the travelling Lions.
They were competitive against the best team in the competition, with Justin Darby popping up everywhere for the Tigers.
Darby is a valuable component of the Tigers with star, Daniel Zacek absent for the rest of the season.
The Lions simply need to win to keep their finals aspirations alive.
Last Modified on 30/06/2010 20:17