With 6 more minor rounds to go, the next few weeks are going to have a big bearing on final ladder positions and who plays finals.
It is Think! Road Safety Round this weekend. All senior sides will be wearing yellow tape around their arms as a reminder, and medals will be presented for the player who is the "best on-field decision maker". Every club has been impacted at some point by someone not making it home safely, so after the game we want to be doing what we making good off-field decisions and getting home safely.
On that note, lets get on with this week's games:
Elliston Districts vs Tumby Bay at Elliston
Elliston Districts
Ins: Brody Kenny, Sam Keane, Oska Richards, Noah Fleming
Outs: Rhys Kelsh, Lachy Forward, Jacob Newton, Patrick Winter
Tumby Bay
Ins: Grant McLeod, Tyson Whitelaw
Outs: Latrellae Sumner (Norwood), Thomas Allen
Elliston Districts would dearly love to have Rhys Kelsh and Jacob Newton available for this game, whilst Tumby Bay will welcome back Grant Mcleod who started the season on fire being amongst their best players and averaging a goal per game in the first four games of the season. His leg speed and ball use gets all the pundits talking.
Last year's grand finalists, Elliston Districts, played well against Lock in their last game to get a 3 point win. They probably need to win 4 out of their last 6 games to sneak into finals but taking on taking on Tumby Bay on a weekend where Josh Cave racks up his 300th game for the Blues is going to be a tough ask.
Can Fingers Feltus craft a handy win at Rooster Park by having a better understanding of the nuances of the ground? Or will Tumby Bay begin their march home as they begin to regain their best players towards finals?
Eyre United vs Cummins Kapinnie at Ungarra
Eyre United
Ins: Will Turner, Jonah Fatchen, Cruz Mullan, Kobe Vlassco
Outs: Vaughan Thomas, Cam Foster, Aiden Sheen, Kaden Dorward
Cummins Kapinnie
Ins: Sam Ness + 1 more
Outs: Saxon Rogers, Dylan Doudle
Will Turner was outstanding last weekend at Kinlough Cup leading the way as captain and kicking 4 goals for the carnival the first of which was a drop punt from the boundary to set the tone for the carnival. It will be interesting to see where the coach Nifty uses him, whether he uses him up forward as a target or as a big-bodied midfielder to help the Saints win the clearances.
Kobe Vlassco is a very handy inclusion and was instumental kicking 3 goals against Cougars last time in their only win for the season, and he will likely need to be influential again with the Saints missing their key target Max Baldissera since last time they met.
Cougars will be looking for a solid showing from the Green Men - Adam, Jay & Jack to win the ball in the middle and rebound them out of defence. Vice captain, Daniel Puckridge provided a leading target last time they met until he succumbed to a hamstring injury. They'll also welcome back Sam Ness who provides a marking target and brings others around him into the game.
Coach Thomas Phelps played for EP in the SA Country Champs and may be excused for being a little sore but they need him to be providing run and carry before hitting up the forward targets if Cougars are any chance of winning this game.
This will be a game full of desperation as Cougars look for their first win of the season, and the Saints looking to a second win on top of the victory last time they met. The definition of "pride on the line" right here.
Cummins Ramblers vs Lock at Cummins
Ramblers
Ins: Ethan Langley, Seth Dobbins, James Richardson, George Pedler, Zakk Bullard
Outs: Will Blacker, Ashton Howard-Ham, Cody Modra, Gus Crettenden, Joel Modra
Lock
Ins: Andrew Hetzel, Luke Northcott
Outs: Fergus Slape, Ryan Durdin
These teams are 3rd and 4th on the ladder with Ramblers already having faced the Eagles and Lock bringing home a 111 point win against Cougars in their last game, in which Lock welcomed back Kory Beard from a 4 game absence and Aaron Beard dominated the goal-kicking with 8 and sneaking ahead of team mate Cain Reynolds in the leading goal kickers.
Ramblers have 5 very handy inclusions from their last outing, with the match up of Seth Dobbins vs Aaron Beard either in the ruck contests or in Lock's goal square will be one to watch. James Richardson will have his hands full up forward as Ramblers look to nullify the influence of Kory Beard providing run across half back.
Although the other two games will be intriguing battles, this game will likely be the match of the round with both sides looking to solidify their final aspirations as they welcome back players for the backend of the season.
Comments