FOOTBALL
MID GIPPSLAND
Trafalgar have managed to overcome every challenge presented to them in season 2018 and will face another one this weekend in Yinnar.
Last week’s win over Yallourn-Yallourn North had confirmed the Bloods as rightful favourites for this season’s MGFL premiership.
The Bloods real challenge now is to remain focused with the building expectation and pressure on a playing group that is performing well week in, week out.
Yinnar will have their shot at the title this weekend and will no doubt appreciate the opportunity to do so ahead of an inevitable match up again come finals.
The Magpies have been and remain one of the most respected clubs in the competition, and that’s partly due to their ability to lift for occasions such as this.
With final positions all but sorted, this clash will be about learning about one another and a little about making a statement.
Yarragon v Morwell East
Yarragon was on the end of a good old fashioned footballing lesson last week against Yinnar.
The Panthers, who had been not only mixing it with some of the league’s best but on occasion also beating them, were left floundering against a talented Magpies team.
Of most interest this weekend will be how they bounce back from that defeat when they meet yet another side who are looking to have an impact in the finals.
Morwell East promised the world and delivered an atlas for most of the season, but suddenly find themselves with a remote chance of securing a top-five spot.
Most might think it unlikely but it was only a year ago that Mirboo North found themselves in a similar position.
Mirboo North v Newborough
Mirboo North may have secured their spot in the top five a full month earlier than last year, but the football they are playing is very similar to that of their premiership winning year of 2018.
The Tigers have a confidence within the group that is invaluable in pressure situations and there will be plenty of that pressure when they meet Newborough on Saturday.
The Bulldogs may have claimed a comfortable win against the winless Boolarra last week, but it was the way they made a mess of the Demons that shows they are ready for a hard-fought physical contest.
It was only a few weeks ago that Tom Hallinan’s men also knocked off Yinnar – one of this year’s in-form clubs – in a brutal encounter.
Win or lose, it wont make much difference to Mirboo North’s ladder position, but it can affect a group’s confidence and that’s the last thing you want at this time of the year.
Thorpdale v Hill End
A game against a club lower down the ladder is exactly what Thorpdale need at this stage of the year, with their tenuous hold on fifth spot being challenged by Morwell East.
It has been well documented that the Blues have been battling with injuries for several weeks now and they face a club in a very similar position this weekend.
The Rovers have battled injuries to key players and have struggled to claim premiership points for most of this season and their clash with Thorpdale is unlikely to change that.
Thorpdale have too much to play for and a loss to ninth-placed Hill End would put another nail in the coffin of their finals hopes.
Boolarra v YYN
Yallourn-Yallourn North – coming off last week’s loss to top-of-the-table Trafalgar – meet a luckless Boolarra outfit this weekend.
The Bombers have the benefit of the league’s leading goal kicker Dean Macdonald in good form.
The key forward kicked eight goals against the top side last week, so what he might be capable of this week is anyone’s guess.
With 80 goals to his name this season and two rounds of home and away football remaining, the prospect of 100 would be very much alive.
In their round nine clash it was the Bombers by 187 points and Macdonald finished with 15 goals.
