FOOTBALL
MID GIPPSLAND
An upbeat Yallourn Yallourn North unit will take on a strong and fit Mirboo North Tigers this weekend in Mid Gippsland football.
YYN had a good game against Yinnar before the break, showing its improvement overall, but coach Rick Hearn said the players were still working towards a four-quarter effort.
Hearn said their avenue to goal was improved, with Barry Brooks providing a big target in the forward line and Hearn’s son Ryan kicking four goals of his own.
With the Bombers’ confidence boosted from the improved performance against Yinnar, Hearn said he wanted to ensure they did not get “blown out of the water” by Mirboo North, which would be a challenge against the Tigers’ impressive run and ability to link up and proficiently kick goals.
“We’re building towards a win. It will be hard to win up there, but nothing’s out of the question, so you’ve just got to play the four quarters,” Hearn said.
“There’s a chance if we keep playing well the wins will come and if we get one I reckon we’ll get more.”
Although Mirboo North’s Matt Holland will be out due to an injury acquired in the interleague game, the Tigers have a strong side and possess the depth to cover his absence.
Thorpdale v Boolarra
Confidence could play a key role in this weekend’s clash between Boolarra and Thorpdale.
Boolarra went into the break with spirits high after a win over Hill End, while Thorpdale’s was shattered during a thrashing at the hands of Mirboo North.
The Blues will face a strengthened Boolarra unit, with coach Tony Giardina hoping to have at least three players back into the side.
Giardina said the break had come at a good time for sore bodies.
He said he had not set any specific goals for where the side should be at, but knew they were not playing their best football yet.
“While we’re happy we’re in that mix we’re not happy we’ve dropped those two games. We think we’re a bit better than what we’re showing at the moment,” Giardina said.
Newborough v Hill End
After its winning streak grinded to a halt, Hill End will challenge Newborough in a match Bulldog coach Allan Chandler described as a “must-win”.
“It’s a pretty big game for us because if we lose we kind of drop back to their level, but at the moment we’re sitting almost equal third with Boolarra,” Chandler said.
He said the break had aided the Bulldogs, who were “starting to get toward our full side” and expected Adam Kennedy to be back and at least one other.
The match is equally important for the Hillmen, whose coach Phil Town said he could not wait to take it to the Bulldogs.
“We play pretty well against Newborough. We’re looking forward to the challenge for sure,” Town said.
“We’re there about we just need to get a win against one of those top sides.”
The sidelined coach said he expected to return to the side and hoped that solid forward Karl Mutke, who was missed in their clash with Boolarra, would be back as well.
Yinnar v Yarragon
Yarragon takes on Yinnar this weekend, whose confidence would be a bit shaky after YYN almost leapfrogged them.
After a week off the Magpies should come out with renewed focus to be more consistent in the second half of the season.
Yarragon coach Anthony Pavey said he thought his side had started to play better football, but the undermanned unit had found it hard to cover for injured players.
“We’re hoping Scott Wood and Jim Harvey will be back after the break so they’ll be big bonuses for us; a ruckman and a good backman,” Pavey said.
He said he hoped after talking to his players at training to see a more disciplined outfit this weekend.
“If we can put four quarters together mentally we’ll match it with them.”
Morwell East v Trafalgar
Morwell East front Trafalgar at the Hawks’ home ground this weekend after the match was moved to Ronald Reserve because of the poor condition of Trafalgar’s ground.
Trafalgar coach Chris Kyriacou did not have a break last week when he captained the interleague side to victory at Visy Park.
Five other Trafalgar players were part of the side that defeated Picola and District Football League.
Morwell East was represented by Brandon Francis and Shaun Barnes, who had a good day on the park, kicking four goals last Sunday.
These players would take confidence from their win and should take no time to adjust from being teammates to opposition.
In the round before the break Morwell East endured a huge loss to Newborough, with seven changes to their side playing a part.
With a week off the Hawks will hope injured players have had enough time to recover and have a stronger side this weekend.
They will need it when they face Trafalgar which has the depth to cover any lost players and a solid side on the ground.
