SHEPPARTON V MOOROOPNA
Shepparton will be looking to bounce back after it was handed a football lesson by reigning premier Echuca last round. The 70-point loss was the Bears’ first of 2024 and it relegated them to second place on the ladder.
Mooroopna continue to win when the odds are against it. The Cats probably went in as underdogs against Euroa, but they are easily one of the best coached teams under John Lamont. And, I have no doubt that makes a big difference as he instils a belief in the group that they can win anywhere and anytime.
Keelin Betson, Angus Hanrahan (good in the win over United as well), Dom Gugliotti, Kobie Issell and Bryce Rutherford were important in the win over the Magpies. A big boost for the Cats is the return of key forward Daniel Johnstone. He missed last week’s win due to a one-game suspension. A worrying sign for the Cats is that they only won one quarter against Euroa but it was enough to get the win.
Bryce Stephenson, Jacob Watts, Ashley Holland, Xavier Stevenson and Joel Brett will be charged with leading the way to ensure that loss can be rectified against the Cats. The Bears were well beaten by the Murray Bombers last round, but in a positive they did win the second quarter.
Traditionally these teams have played some tight affairs and this should be no different.
I am going with the Bears to bounce back from last week’s defeat and get the chocolates. Tip: Shepparton.
SEYMOUR V MANSFIELD
This will be an intriguing match-up. Seymour chalked up its second win of the season at Deakin Reserve last round while the Eagles slipped up at home to the red-hot Rochester Tigers.
The Lions had one of its best four quarters for the season in accounting for Shepparton United. Coach Ben Davey will be hoping this win can launch them in to making a charge up the ladder. Tom Maloney, Cooper Holdsworth-Rose, Nathan Beattie, Riley Mason, Nathan Fowler and Lewis Lubeck (5 goals) were important for the Lions in the comfortable 32-point win over the Demons.
They will be important as the Lions look to replicate their last home game where it just fell short against the Tigers.
Jayden Howes, Brett Mahoney, Riley Northcott, Tom Dunstan and Cody George were the Eagles’ best in the 40-point loss to Rochester. Kicking goals was a problem last round at home against Rochester. And the Eagles will need to rectify it and produce a similar effort in front of goals to a fortnight ago at Euroa where it kicked straight to defeat the Pies on the road.
This is a game that the Eagles can ill-afford to drop as Euroa is hot on its heels and looking to pounce on any slip ups. I think the Eagles have got too much to play for and therefore should win what I expect to be a tight contest at Kings Park, Seymour. Tip: Mansfield.
BENALLA V TATURA
This is a great opportunity for both these teams, especially the visitors who haven’t won since the opening day of the season. Benalla won in round 9 at home against the Swans. That win lifted the Saints off the bottom of the ladder. A win against the Bulldogs will go a long way to the Saints avoiding the wooden spoon as it would send them six points clear of the visitors. Nick Mellington, Mark Marriott, Nicholas Brazil, Sam Begley and Wade King will be important as will the coach Jarrod Waite.
If they can continue their strong form of recent weeks, then the Saints will feel confident it can defeat the Bulldogs despite what the likes of Ethan Penrith, Tim Wilson, Mitchell Elliott, Curtis Ryan and Jhdara Jones can throw up. Tip: Benalla.
ECHUCA V KYABRAM
Kyabram will welcome the challenge of taking on the reigning premier in a rematch of the 2023 grand-final. The Bombers have been in some solid form over the past fortnight. They lost by less than 3 kicks against Shepparton and accounted for the Saints by 50 points at home last round. Joshua Dillon, Will Golds, Jackson Griffiths, Bailey Tome, Liam Ogden, Anthony DePasquale and William Wild were important in that win.
They will need to continue that good form while the Bombers will look to get a contribution from everyone who takes the field to be a genuine chance of defeating the Murray Bombers.
Echuca made a big statement in the top of the table battle last round despite missing half-a-dozen regulars. They handed the previously undefeated Shepparton a 70-point football lesson. Riley Smith, Will Monahan, Jack McHale, Jack Evans, and Kane Morris were outstanding in the win that saw the reigning premier have 10 different goalkickers.
I think the Bombers will give a strong account of themselves, but I don’t think they will be able to go the distance. Tip: Echuca.
EUROA V SHEPPARTON UNITED
Euroa will be desperate to avoid a third straight defeat in a row and get the win to put their top six aspirations back on course. Shepparton United will be no easy feat for the home team.
The Demons have shown patches of what they are capable of when they are on, but it is the lapses which is what has hurt them. Declan Newbound, Fraser Hicks, Kale Gibson, Sheldon Bogdan and Samuel McInneny were the standouts in the loss to Lions. They will be looking to continue their form to try and lead the Demons to a second win of 2024.
Will Hayes, Ryan Pendlebury, Jayden Gleeson, Andrew Bell, Lachlan Hill and Jett Trotter will be important for the Magpies.
If they can continue their good form, then they should get the win to stay in touch with the top six. Tip: Euroa.
ROCHESTER V SHEPPARTON SWANS
Rochester will be looking to continue its red-hot form that has seen them climb up to third place on the ladder. The Tigers are shooting for an eighth consecutive win while the Swans are looking for two wins on the bounce to continue their push up the ladder.
Dylan Gordon, Mitchell Trewhella, Matt Kellett, Mitchell Bright and Hamish Heine were important as the Tigers won two quarters at Mansfield but still managed to finish 40 points in front at the final siren.
Mark Kovacevic, Will Dwyer, Zac Clohesy, Max Clohesy and Steele Simpson were the key contributors in the Swans big win over the Bulldogs. They had 12 different goalkickers which will make them a little unpredictable but it is very hard to go past the form of the Tigers.
They have claimed some big scalps and coach Ash Watson will be demanding that his players don’t drop the ball and get complacent against the visiting Swans.
I think the Tigers are playing some really good football which should be enough to get the win over the Swans. Tip: Rochester.
