FOOTBALL
NORTH GIPPSLAND
Rosedale coach Sam Bristow has predicted a tight finish to the season and says the competition is the most even it has been in several years.
The Blues sit sixth on the North Gippsland ladder, separated only by percentage with fifth-placed Woodside and Sale City who sit fourth.
Bristow said despite a lack of fire and on-field performance against Traralgon Tyers United in round five, the Blues showed promising signs.
“We had our chances but we didn’t capitalise, we kicked one goal four in the first quarter and they kicked four goals straight so that was hard to compete with,” Bristow said.
“I think the good thing about our competition this year is that it’s so even, you can’t take any game lightly because anyone can bob up and win.”
Yarram sit atop the North Gippsland ladder, holding a perfect seven from seven winning record ahead of the Bombers and Churchill who round out the top three.
In the lower order of the senior ladder, Heyfield and Gormandale sit seventh and eighth respectively and are separated only by percentage while Glengarry and Cowwarr round out the ladder.
The Blues will head to Glengarry this weekend to take on the Pies who come off a 53-point win over Cowwarr, making it their first win of the season.
“We’ve had some close games with Glengarry with them in the last few meetings but we’ll go into it thinking that they could be a very good chance of winning,” Bristow said.
Blues’ forward Scott Johnstone has been ruled out this weekend after injuring his knee in the first 10 seconds of the four-goal loss to the Bombers on Saturday.
Sale City v Gormandale
Gormandale’s performance on field is showing serious signs of improvement after a 47-point win over Glengarry on Saturday.
For a club which has struggled consistently off field for quite sometime, the Tigers are starting to roar back into the competition following a slow start to the season.
Gormandale coach Steve Hazelman said Saturday’s clash against Sale City would be a challenge but remained optimistic after his chargers secured their second win on the trot at the weekend.
“Sale City have been the benchmark of the competition and for us, coming off a good win, we’re hoping to put in a good performance,” Hazelman said.
“They’ve got five genuine A graders in Jacob Schuback, Josh Tollner, Justin McLay, Bohdi Walker and Stuart Buckley, so we’ll have to work to shut them down.”
While the side is likely to go into Saturday’s game untouched from round seven, Hazelman said it would be the first game this season the club would not be restricted by player injury.
The Bulldogs, who sit fourth on the North Gippsland ladder with four wins and three losses, return to Sale this weekend after a 27-point loss to the Demons at Yarram.
Woodside v Yarram
League best and fairest Griffin Underwood is expected to pull on the boots for Yarram on Saturday, returning from a hamstring injury, as the Demons remain the flag favourites for season 2018.
Yarram will head down the South Gippsland Highway on Saturday to take on Woodside in a strong cross-region rivalry after a promising win over fourth-placed Sale City in round seven.
Yarram coach Matt Scholz said while Underwood was likely to return, Jarryd Swift was still a few weeks away from returning to the field after also suffering a hamstring injury earlier in the season.
An area the Demons will be keen to improve on is their accuracy in front of goal, after kicking 12.23 (95) on Saturday.
“[Woodside’s] midfield is what they win their footy from, so we’ve got to be on from the get go,” Scholz said.
“Underwood felt his hamstring twinge a bit and it was just a precautionary measure to rest him up to make sure he didn’t do it properly … but [he] should be back this week.”
As for Woodside, Scholz said it would be a “tough ask” to take on the Wildcats at home and said a few key players including Tom Crosby could make it difficult for the Demons.
The Wildcats sit fifth on the North Gippsland ladder and head into this weekend’s game after a 53-point win over Cowwarr on Saturday.
TTU v Heyfield
Confidence among the Heyfield senior side is required according to Roos coach Mark Stevens who says he “cannot fault” his side’s commitment and effort heading into round eight.
The Roos head into Saturday’s clash after a 23-point loss to Churchill but Stevens said it was important to remain optimistic after a slow start to the season.
“We need to build some confidence within the playing group and make sure they’re enjoying what they’re doing, I think. We’ve had quite a few losses in the last few weeks so it’s important the boys stay positive and keep working hard,” he said.
“Their effort and what they’re bringing to the side – I cannot fault – it would just be nice to get a reward and score on the board up forward, they deserve it.”
Heyfield will be without two key midfielders – Will Kelly and Jason Garett – who injured their knee and hamstring, respectively, at Churchill last weekend.
It is unclear when both players will return to the side.
“TTU have recruited really well, they have some talented players and two of our best midfielders got injured at Churchill on the weekend so we’ll be without them up against a strong group like the Bombers,” Stevens said.
The second-placed Bombers head into the game with decent form after an 18-point win over Rosedale.
Cowwarr v Churchill
Churchill president Michael Johnson says the Cougars should not take Cowwarr lightly this weekend, despite the side sitting last on the ladder and yet to win a game this season.
Johnson said the Saints had shown “spurts of form” in the first part of the season and acknowledged it was important to go into the game with a clear mind regardless of previous records.
“The senior side still has a couple of injuries including player-coach Chris Williams with a leg injury and Brendan Holt, a power forward, out with a muscle injury,” Johnson said.
“Our reserves are battling at the moment, however, due to a lack of players and reserves players stepping up to replace injured players in the seniors so we’d welcome any new players.”
The Cougars sit third with five wins and two losses and head into Saturday’s game after a four-goal win over Heyfield on Saturday.
