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RDFL 2010 Season - Round 7
Another interest filled round of football lies ahead as we head into Round 7 of the RDFL season. While it looks as though 3 sides have put a stamp on a top 6 spot in Riddell, Sunbury and Lancefield, the remaining 3 spots remain wide open with Diggers Rest, Kilmore, Wallan, Macedon and Romsey capable of filling the final 3 positions.
Diggers Rest FNC (6th, 4-2) Vs Riddell FNC (1st, 6-0)
Diggers Rest Reserve - Diggers Rest
Despite two losses in their past 3 games, the Burra remain as one of the contenders for a finals spot in 2010. Injuries have hit hard, last week Cole Laurie, Daniel Poynton and John Ryan were all missing and Dan McCabe and Steve Ruane were out of action after half time from the side that lost to Sunbury, Jeff Heritage is in some vintage form for the Burra, while Stuart Clarke and Dylan Kite give them plenty of midfield and defensive drive, but they are just finding it a bit tough to cover all of these losses of personnel. Shane Marchewka returned 2 weeks ago with a bag of 4 goals whilst swapping in the ruck and was having an influence early last week too, he and Lindsay Black will be up against it again this week though coming up against Brayden Allen who is the form ruckman of the competition. The Bombers are just cruising along nicely, they have injury concerns of their own though with Gerard Liddell missing last week, James Climas not getting through the entire game and Aaron Blade out for up to the next 6 weeks with a leg injury. But the Bombers just continue to cover any losses. The youngsters from the Under 18's step up when given their opportunity, while their forward and defensive 6 are as potent as ever. What is it going to take for an opposition side to break down the Bombers line up?? Matt Baird and Mick Allen are dominating up forward, Allen has lost none of his ability to dominate opposition sides, he sits 3rd on the league goal kicking tally. But the key so far has been in the Ruck, from all reports Brayden Allen is completely dominating opponents, and as one person commented last week "he should be playing AFL he is that good". That's a big call, but there is no doubt Brayden is in great form. The key for the Burra is that this game is at home, a trip up to Riddell with some of the names they are either missing or are struggling with injury would have resulted in a spanking, but at home, the Burra are a chance. They will need their best players firing though and need to pressure the Bombers ball use through the half back line and the middle of the ground. So far this year it has been one way traffic with no where near enough pressure on the ball carrier, the results have told the story, the Bombers have just had it all way too easy. If they can keep the game open and continue to link up through the half back line, this could get very ugly very quickly.
Game Key: Defensive pressure. In a final a couple of years ago, the Burra won an unwinnable game by ensuring that every Riddell possession was either under pressure or came with perceived pressure, sure, the conditions helped, but the Burra need to be able to put pressure on every Riddell possession if they are to win.
Riddell by 38 points.
Woodend/Hesket (8th, 2-4) Vs Sunbury Kangaroos (2nd, 5-1)
Gilbert Gordon Oval - Woodend
After Round 1 I called that the Hawks were not good enough to be a finals contender in 2010, in Round 2 they forced me to retract with a dominating performance against the Cats. After Round 6, I again say that the Hawks cannot make the finals in 2010, they have struggled since the Round 2 win and haven't done anything to impress the punters out there. The Hawks are much in the same boat as everyone else. Injuries have cruelled their season. Matt Knox and Jay Downing are massive losses for the Hawks. The positives are the form of the younger players, Daniel Toman is going to be a star, James Hepburn and Rory Cross have been solid so far. The Hawks just need so much more from the recruits. Jesse Waters was talked up preseason and is struggling to settle in, while Ross Waters exploded into the side in Round 2 only to not have the same impact since. Sam Bowen is effectively a recruit as well and while he has started well, most of us in the RDFL know what Sam is truly capable of, if he explodes, he can carry the entire Hawks side. The Roos have injury concerns of their own, Mark McInerney came off with a hamstring injury last week, while they have lost Daniel Burrows for the season with a knee injury and Jake Powell and Leigh McInerney looked sore late in the game last week. But for all intensive purposes, last weeks slogging hard fought win will hold the Roos in good stead. Meacham, Cuffe and Sutherland are in sparkling form and creating a very potent forward set up. McGovern, Jackson Baddelley and Ryan "The Duck" Hatty (loved that write up in the record.. Wayne Carey, lol.) have been great through the middle of the ground. Adam Walsh would be close to the best small defender in the competition at the moment and Matt Welsh is displaying some of the damaging form that opposition sides would dread. This is a danger game of sorts for the Roos as the Hawks are a much better side at home and over the last few years a healthy rivalry has developed between the two sides. The Hawks have the same problem as last week, how do they stop the big forwards, James Hardwick is a very good defender, but he can only play on one of them. Luke Barker will have his hands full too. The Hawks know how to play their home ground and the Roos have struggled there in the past, but this is a big ask for the undermanned Hawks, but I do think this will be a pretty good contest.
Game Key: Key forwards, for the Hawks to win, Knox has to play and he has to have an impact, last year he torched the Roos in the Hawks win. If Knox, Waters and Cook can get involved, they might just match the Roos key forwards. The Roos just have to continue to put the ball deep inside their forward 50 to give the forwards a chance to impact the scoreboard.
Sunbury Kangaroos by 28 points.
Broadford FNC (12th, 0-6) Vs Romsey FNC (9th, 1-5)
Harley Hammond Reserve - Broadford
Broadford have the best named ground in the competition. That is about all. No, in all seriousness, Broadford know they have work to do and hopefully they can keep working towards improvement in their younger players, while the more senior guys can really improve their leadership this year. Chook Barton, Grant Wearne and Michael Gillard can be leaders of this football club, they just have to pick the younger guys up and take them on the ride. Marcus Webb is so far showing impressive signs as the most consistently performed Broadford player, while younger guys like Jamie Hetherington will improve the more games they play, this looks to be very one sided though. The Redbacks have lost Cam Dawson for the next 4 weeks, the most important 4 weeks of the Redbacks season, if they drop a game in the next 4, their season could be well and truly gone. Can the Roos surprise them this week and sneak a win, to be honest, I am not even really sure on what it is that will give them that chance, maybe drawing out that undisciplined streak that the Romsey boys are capable of at times.. Dean Smith-Whiting showed glimpses of why he was so highly rated last week, while Gary started to hit some top form. Brad Mitchell has proven ultra important to the Redbacks line up in recent weeks. Broadford just need to go one on one all over the ground and try to come out on top against their direct opponent. Tackling pressure on the ball carrier is essential.
Game Key: Controlling the tempo of the game is the only chance Broadford have, when they have the ball, they need to hit up targets and move the ball at a pace controlled by them. When the Redbacks have the ball they just need to go man on man and slow them up.
Romsey by 120 points.
Rockbank FSC (11th, 1-5) Vs Wallan FNC (3-3)
Ian Cowie Reserve - Rockbank
The Rams were demolished by the best team in the competition last week, lets put that aside. Their form outside of the clashes with the top 2 sides has been pretty solid, they were possibly unlucky to lose against the Hawks a couple of weeks ago. Again, the Rams recruits will hold the key, Michael Kennedy in the ruck and Nathan Jackal and Jaime Zerafa in the midfield. Not sure what has happened to Matty Krul, started the season really well but has missed a few weeks now. The Rams sorely miss forward options now, it is the one area that probably seperates them from a loss or a win in a game like the one against the Hawks, if they can get Krul back in and use him in a change with Kennedy up forward that might help. I noticed that the Big Cat played in the two's last week, is there any chance that he might return to be an option up forward for the Rams?? Who knows. Wallan fell just short of an in form Lancefield last week to prove that they are still well and truly in the mix despite a disappointing loss to the Burra the week before, Carl Groth continues to be one of the Magpies standout's this season and a match up with Zerafa this week seems mouth watering. From what I can gather so far, the Magpies biggest downfall so far in 2010 seems to be the ability to kick a winning score, they have been in most of their games but just haven't been able to put a big score on the board. They have only managed a score of over 100 points once so far this season in their big win over the Hawks, while in comparison, Riddell has topped the ton in 5 out of 6 games. For the Magpies to be in the mix for top 4 it is an issue they will need to sort in the coming weeks, starting with this weeks game.
Game Key: Scoreboard pressure, the Magpies have had trouble putting the score on the board, so have the Rams, the side that puts early scoreboard pressure on could control this game, who has the most firepower?
Wallan by 26 points.
Melton Centrals FNC (10th, 1-5) Vs Lancefield FNC (3rd, 5-1)
McPherson Park - Melton
Centrals are coming off a game where they took it right up to the Redbacks for 3 quarters before running out of legs in the last quarter. Their form since the game against Kilmore has been improving and returning home this week, they should be confident enough to know that they can take it up to the better sides at times. While the end result would definitely not be what they wanted, Centrals are not going to be pushovers, especially at home. Paul Sproule is playing well and the on field leadership at Centrals is really very good. Sproule, Brian Wheelahan and Kane Bullen do everything they can to inspire teammates to lift, this week is another opportunity to prove to everyone that they are heading in the right direction, they will be hopefully not be heading the other way. The Tigers are in red hot form, they haven't lost since Round 1 and another win over a finals contender last weekend has them primed heading into this contest. The Tigers have added another dimension to both their backline, with recruit Brett Caton, a tall defender with great skills adding both height and talent and giving Leigh Irwin support and their forward line, with former Sunbury forward Nathan Carroll giving them another option outside of Baker and Ruffell. The form of Baker could be a concern though, a bag against the Hawks is the shine on a season that really hasn't produced, but he does have a history of dominating one week and then going quiet for 4. But the form of others is masking that at the moment and opportunity will always continue to present itself in the Tigers forward 50. This is certainly going to be a test for Centrals, the Tigers pride themselves on putting pressure on the ball carrier and then being able to rebound sharply and put the opposition backline under pressure in one on one situations. Centrals have always been a good contested ball side, but their problem is going to be, do they have the class to go with the Tigers.
Game Key: Class, the Tigers have it all over the field, they have it in spades, from Caton and Travis Smith down back, to Chris Collins and Tom Waters through the midfield, to Ruffell up forward. Centrals have some too, but will they be in the game enough to impact the result.
Lancefield by 44 points.
Match of the Round
The Macedon Ranges Cup
Macedon FC (5th, 4-2) Vs Kilmore FNC (4th, 4-2)
Tony Clarke Reserve - Macedon
The Cats, top contenders or top pretenders, that is the question at the moment. While the Cats have shown flashes of brilliance so far in 2010, there has been just as many questions raised around the league, a big win over Romsey in Round One, a flogging at the hands of Woodend/Hesket in Round Two.. Inconsistency since. The Cats need to make a statement, they are brilliant at home, so they have their chance to make a statement this week. While some would question the Cats attack on the football, they do have some of the better contested football winners in the competition. Darren Goodwin, Tim Dettman and James Wright are all excellent ball winners, Wright and Dylan Wright are capable of carrying the football, always dangerous with the football in their hands. Ash Fleming and Matt Waters (If he plays) are the backbone of the forward setup, with the two Wrights and Aaron Christianson nipping around and causing opposition headaches. Dan Markworth started the season on fire but has since had a reduced impact, while the ever important Jae Wilton is starting to hit some form. The Blues are one of the form teams in the competition. They have won 4 straight and are sitting pretty in the top four. The best they have a shining and the competition is starting to take notice. Matt Robertson, Guy Booker and of course the big man up forward Aaron James are putting their stamp on the game. The younger players are starting to really influence the game too, Codey Phillips was named as the Blues best last week, a really talented young on baller/forward, RDFL supporters will see alot of his name in the future, while Trav Hede finally started to show some of those signs that everyone knows makes him a very talented footballer. The best thing for the Blues last week was that several options became available up forward and gave them another dimension. Hede, Keenan, Murphy and Collis kicked 15 goals of the Blues 29 between them. An excellent result, if they can continue to have other options and James can kick his 6 or 7 per week as well, the Blues are going to be a very tough side to stop. This game could well come down to the midfield battle, as alot of these high quality match ups do. With plenty of space on the big Tony Clarke, both sides forwards are going to get plenty of opportunity. Expect Jae Wilton to have first crack at James, but the Cats have plenty of work to do to fill the space in front of him. The backline of both sides could be where this game is won and lost though, the side that is able to support their teammates, drop off when the time is right to assist in contests could take the advantage, especially if the Cats are able to execute, they are probably a little more fleet of foot across the ground than the Blues, if the ball hits the deck in the Blues forward 50, the Cats will look to have the smalls swoop and use their link and run to put the Blues defense under pressure. The Blues would probably prefer the game be a little more stop start as I think they will have the advantage around the stoppages, especially with Robertson in there. Either way this game can be played in two ways, it will be break neck speed or plenty of contests, but I don't think that it will be a slog, neither of these sides want to play that style of football. As long as the weather doesn't become a factor, it should be a high scoring shoot out, which should make for a very entertaining day of football.
Game Key: The defensive game. The side that is able to go defensive at times could take advantage of the game. For the Cats, that will mean numbers pushing back to fill space before taking off when in possession of the ball. For the Blues that may just be to create stoppages at critical moments, if they allow the Cats to break out running, they might be too tough to stop.
Macedon by 8 points.
Another interest filled round of football lies ahead as we head into Round 7 of the RDFL season. While it looks as though 3 sides have put a stamp on a top 6 spot in Riddell, Sunbury and Lancefield, the remaining 3 spots remain wide open with Diggers Rest, Kilmore, Wallan, Macedon and Romsey capable of filling the final 3 positions.
Diggers Rest FNC (6th, 4-2) Vs Riddell FNC (1st, 6-0)
Diggers Rest Reserve - Diggers Rest
Despite two losses in their past 3 games, the Burra remain as one of the contenders for a finals spot in 2010. Injuries have hit hard, last week Cole Laurie, Daniel Poynton and John Ryan were all missing and Dan McCabe and Steve Ruane were out of action after half time from the side that lost to Sunbury, Jeff Heritage is in some vintage form for the Burra, while Stuart Clarke and Dylan Kite give them plenty of midfield and defensive drive, but they are just finding it a bit tough to cover all of these losses of personnel. Shane Marchewka returned 2 weeks ago with a bag of 4 goals whilst swapping in the ruck and was having an influence early last week too, he and Lindsay Black will be up against it again this week though coming up against Brayden Allen who is the form ruckman of the competition. The Bombers are just cruising along nicely, they have injury concerns of their own though with Gerard Liddell missing last week, James Climas not getting through the entire game and Aaron Blade out for up to the next 6 weeks with a leg injury. But the Bombers just continue to cover any losses. The youngsters from the Under 18's step up when given their opportunity, while their forward and defensive 6 are as potent as ever. What is it going to take for an opposition side to break down the Bombers line up?? Matt Baird and Mick Allen are dominating up forward, Allen has lost none of his ability to dominate opposition sides, he sits 3rd on the league goal kicking tally. But the key so far has been in the Ruck, from all reports Brayden Allen is completely dominating opponents, and as one person commented last week "he should be playing AFL he is that good". That's a big call, but there is no doubt Brayden is in great form. The key for the Burra is that this game is at home, a trip up to Riddell with some of the names they are either missing or are struggling with injury would have resulted in a spanking, but at home, the Burra are a chance. They will need their best players firing though and need to pressure the Bombers ball use through the half back line and the middle of the ground. So far this year it has been one way traffic with no where near enough pressure on the ball carrier, the results have told the story, the Bombers have just had it all way too easy. If they can keep the game open and continue to link up through the half back line, this could get very ugly very quickly.
Game Key: Defensive pressure. In a final a couple of years ago, the Burra won an unwinnable game by ensuring that every Riddell possession was either under pressure or came with perceived pressure, sure, the conditions helped, but the Burra need to be able to put pressure on every Riddell possession if they are to win.
Riddell by 38 points.
Woodend/Hesket (8th, 2-4) Vs Sunbury Kangaroos (2nd, 5-1)
Gilbert Gordon Oval - Woodend
After Round 1 I called that the Hawks were not good enough to be a finals contender in 2010, in Round 2 they forced me to retract with a dominating performance against the Cats. After Round 6, I again say that the Hawks cannot make the finals in 2010, they have struggled since the Round 2 win and haven't done anything to impress the punters out there. The Hawks are much in the same boat as everyone else. Injuries have cruelled their season. Matt Knox and Jay Downing are massive losses for the Hawks. The positives are the form of the younger players, Daniel Toman is going to be a star, James Hepburn and Rory Cross have been solid so far. The Hawks just need so much more from the recruits. Jesse Waters was talked up preseason and is struggling to settle in, while Ross Waters exploded into the side in Round 2 only to not have the same impact since. Sam Bowen is effectively a recruit as well and while he has started well, most of us in the RDFL know what Sam is truly capable of, if he explodes, he can carry the entire Hawks side. The Roos have injury concerns of their own, Mark McInerney came off with a hamstring injury last week, while they have lost Daniel Burrows for the season with a knee injury and Jake Powell and Leigh McInerney looked sore late in the game last week. But for all intensive purposes, last weeks slogging hard fought win will hold the Roos in good stead. Meacham, Cuffe and Sutherland are in sparkling form and creating a very potent forward set up. McGovern, Jackson Baddelley and Ryan "The Duck" Hatty (loved that write up in the record.. Wayne Carey, lol.) have been great through the middle of the ground. Adam Walsh would be close to the best small defender in the competition at the moment and Matt Welsh is displaying some of the damaging form that opposition sides would dread. This is a danger game of sorts for the Roos as the Hawks are a much better side at home and over the last few years a healthy rivalry has developed between the two sides. The Hawks have the same problem as last week, how do they stop the big forwards, James Hardwick is a very good defender, but he can only play on one of them. Luke Barker will have his hands full too. The Hawks know how to play their home ground and the Roos have struggled there in the past, but this is a big ask for the undermanned Hawks, but I do think this will be a pretty good contest.
Game Key: Key forwards, for the Hawks to win, Knox has to play and he has to have an impact, last year he torched the Roos in the Hawks win. If Knox, Waters and Cook can get involved, they might just match the Roos key forwards. The Roos just have to continue to put the ball deep inside their forward 50 to give the forwards a chance to impact the scoreboard.
Sunbury Kangaroos by 28 points.
Broadford FNC (12th, 0-6) Vs Romsey FNC (9th, 1-5)
Harley Hammond Reserve - Broadford
Broadford have the best named ground in the competition. That is about all. No, in all seriousness, Broadford know they have work to do and hopefully they can keep working towards improvement in their younger players, while the more senior guys can really improve their leadership this year. Chook Barton, Grant Wearne and Michael Gillard can be leaders of this football club, they just have to pick the younger guys up and take them on the ride. Marcus Webb is so far showing impressive signs as the most consistently performed Broadford player, while younger guys like Jamie Hetherington will improve the more games they play, this looks to be very one sided though. The Redbacks have lost Cam Dawson for the next 4 weeks, the most important 4 weeks of the Redbacks season, if they drop a game in the next 4, their season could be well and truly gone. Can the Roos surprise them this week and sneak a win, to be honest, I am not even really sure on what it is that will give them that chance, maybe drawing out that undisciplined streak that the Romsey boys are capable of at times.. Dean Smith-Whiting showed glimpses of why he was so highly rated last week, while Gary started to hit some top form. Brad Mitchell has proven ultra important to the Redbacks line up in recent weeks. Broadford just need to go one on one all over the ground and try to come out on top against their direct opponent. Tackling pressure on the ball carrier is essential.
Game Key: Controlling the tempo of the game is the only chance Broadford have, when they have the ball, they need to hit up targets and move the ball at a pace controlled by them. When the Redbacks have the ball they just need to go man on man and slow them up.
Romsey by 120 points.
Rockbank FSC (11th, 1-5) Vs Wallan FNC (3-3)
Ian Cowie Reserve - Rockbank
The Rams were demolished by the best team in the competition last week, lets put that aside. Their form outside of the clashes with the top 2 sides has been pretty solid, they were possibly unlucky to lose against the Hawks a couple of weeks ago. Again, the Rams recruits will hold the key, Michael Kennedy in the ruck and Nathan Jackal and Jaime Zerafa in the midfield. Not sure what has happened to Matty Krul, started the season really well but has missed a few weeks now. The Rams sorely miss forward options now, it is the one area that probably seperates them from a loss or a win in a game like the one against the Hawks, if they can get Krul back in and use him in a change with Kennedy up forward that might help. I noticed that the Big Cat played in the two's last week, is there any chance that he might return to be an option up forward for the Rams?? Who knows. Wallan fell just short of an in form Lancefield last week to prove that they are still well and truly in the mix despite a disappointing loss to the Burra the week before, Carl Groth continues to be one of the Magpies standout's this season and a match up with Zerafa this week seems mouth watering. From what I can gather so far, the Magpies biggest downfall so far in 2010 seems to be the ability to kick a winning score, they have been in most of their games but just haven't been able to put a big score on the board. They have only managed a score of over 100 points once so far this season in their big win over the Hawks, while in comparison, Riddell has topped the ton in 5 out of 6 games. For the Magpies to be in the mix for top 4 it is an issue they will need to sort in the coming weeks, starting with this weeks game.
Game Key: Scoreboard pressure, the Magpies have had trouble putting the score on the board, so have the Rams, the side that puts early scoreboard pressure on could control this game, who has the most firepower?
Wallan by 26 points.
Melton Centrals FNC (10th, 1-5) Vs Lancefield FNC (3rd, 5-1)
McPherson Park - Melton
Centrals are coming off a game where they took it right up to the Redbacks for 3 quarters before running out of legs in the last quarter. Their form since the game against Kilmore has been improving and returning home this week, they should be confident enough to know that they can take it up to the better sides at times. While the end result would definitely not be what they wanted, Centrals are not going to be pushovers, especially at home. Paul Sproule is playing well and the on field leadership at Centrals is really very good. Sproule, Brian Wheelahan and Kane Bullen do everything they can to inspire teammates to lift, this week is another opportunity to prove to everyone that they are heading in the right direction, they will be hopefully not be heading the other way. The Tigers are in red hot form, they haven't lost since Round 1 and another win over a finals contender last weekend has them primed heading into this contest. The Tigers have added another dimension to both their backline, with recruit Brett Caton, a tall defender with great skills adding both height and talent and giving Leigh Irwin support and their forward line, with former Sunbury forward Nathan Carroll giving them another option outside of Baker and Ruffell. The form of Baker could be a concern though, a bag against the Hawks is the shine on a season that really hasn't produced, but he does have a history of dominating one week and then going quiet for 4. But the form of others is masking that at the moment and opportunity will always continue to present itself in the Tigers forward 50. This is certainly going to be a test for Centrals, the Tigers pride themselves on putting pressure on the ball carrier and then being able to rebound sharply and put the opposition backline under pressure in one on one situations. Centrals have always been a good contested ball side, but their problem is going to be, do they have the class to go with the Tigers.
Game Key: Class, the Tigers have it all over the field, they have it in spades, from Caton and Travis Smith down back, to Chris Collins and Tom Waters through the midfield, to Ruffell up forward. Centrals have some too, but will they be in the game enough to impact the result.
Lancefield by 44 points.
Match of the Round
The Macedon Ranges Cup
Macedon FC (5th, 4-2) Vs Kilmore FNC (4th, 4-2)
Tony Clarke Reserve - Macedon
The Cats, top contenders or top pretenders, that is the question at the moment. While the Cats have shown flashes of brilliance so far in 2010, there has been just as many questions raised around the league, a big win over Romsey in Round One, a flogging at the hands of Woodend/Hesket in Round Two.. Inconsistency since. The Cats need to make a statement, they are brilliant at home, so they have their chance to make a statement this week. While some would question the Cats attack on the football, they do have some of the better contested football winners in the competition. Darren Goodwin, Tim Dettman and James Wright are all excellent ball winners, Wright and Dylan Wright are capable of carrying the football, always dangerous with the football in their hands. Ash Fleming and Matt Waters (If he plays) are the backbone of the forward setup, with the two Wrights and Aaron Christianson nipping around and causing opposition headaches. Dan Markworth started the season on fire but has since had a reduced impact, while the ever important Jae Wilton is starting to hit some form. The Blues are one of the form teams in the competition. They have won 4 straight and are sitting pretty in the top four. The best they have a shining and the competition is starting to take notice. Matt Robertson, Guy Booker and of course the big man up forward Aaron James are putting their stamp on the game. The younger players are starting to really influence the game too, Codey Phillips was named as the Blues best last week, a really talented young on baller/forward, RDFL supporters will see alot of his name in the future, while Trav Hede finally started to show some of those signs that everyone knows makes him a very talented footballer. The best thing for the Blues last week was that several options became available up forward and gave them another dimension. Hede, Keenan, Murphy and Collis kicked 15 goals of the Blues 29 between them. An excellent result, if they can continue to have other options and James can kick his 6 or 7 per week as well, the Blues are going to be a very tough side to stop. This game could well come down to the midfield battle, as alot of these high quality match ups do. With plenty of space on the big Tony Clarke, both sides forwards are going to get plenty of opportunity. Expect Jae Wilton to have first crack at James, but the Cats have plenty of work to do to fill the space in front of him. The backline of both sides could be where this game is won and lost though, the side that is able to support their teammates, drop off when the time is right to assist in contests could take the advantage, especially if the Cats are able to execute, they are probably a little more fleet of foot across the ground than the Blues, if the ball hits the deck in the Blues forward 50, the Cats will look to have the smalls swoop and use their link and run to put the Blues defense under pressure. The Blues would probably prefer the game be a little more stop start as I think they will have the advantage around the stoppages, especially with Robertson in there. Either way this game can be played in two ways, it will be break neck speed or plenty of contests, but I don't think that it will be a slog, neither of these sides want to play that style of football. As long as the weather doesn't become a factor, it should be a high scoring shoot out, which should make for a very entertaining day of football.
Game Key: The defensive game. The side that is able to go defensive at times could take advantage of the game. For the Cats, that will mean numbers pushing back to fill space before taking off when in possession of the ball. For the Blues that may just be to create stoppages at critical moments, if they allow the Cats to break out running, they might be too tough to stop.
Macedon by 8 points.
