By MICHAEL HABER
Roxburgh Park v Moonee Valley
A SHAKY yet steady Roxburgh Park play a ruthless Moonee Valley this week.
Roxburgh Park were the first team to beat Moonee Valley this year, which sent the Fog spiralling slowly down the ladder. They managed to hold off an eager East Sunbury last week, beating them by 32 points. Roxburgh Park’s lethal forward line will need to put on a great performance in order to get over the line against the high-scoring Valley.
Moonee Valley will definitely be out for revenge this week, wanting to inflict pain on the team that dealt them their first loss. They were merciless last week against Coburg Districts, beating them by 120 points. Their forwards had a field day with Stuart Taylor kicking nine goals and Joshua Covelli kicking seven. This match will be a tight and high-scoring affair which will arguably be the marquee game of the round.
Coburg Districts v East Keilor
The Lions lost the coveted fourth place on the ladder when they went down to Moonee Valley by 120 points. They were completely blown out of the water and had very few positives in their third consecutive loss. Winning this match is crucial and they will need their leaders to stand up if they want any chance of regaining fourth spot.
East Keilor made easy work of their opponents in Burnside Heights last week, winning by 181 points. It marked the Cougars’ fourth win in a row as they look to not only lock in a spot in the finals, but a spot in the top two. Beating Coburg Districts this week will settle their position in the top four and they will be favourites going into the match.
Keilor Park v East Sunbury
Keilor Park soared into the top four last week as they fended off Jacana to win by two goals. Their top players, Kirk Wintels, Nate Trotter and Peter Corredig stood up when their team needed them to take the victory. The spirit and willpower of this team is one of the strongest in the division and they will need it to fend off all the teams vying for fourth spot.
East Sunbury are one of those teams wanting to spoil the party for Keilor Park. They have proved that they can challenge the top four teams, despite their team being full of younger players. A last quarter flurry of goals for their opponents, Roxburgh Park, meant a 32-point loss for the Thunder but it sent out a message to the opposition. Both of these teams are on the warpath and this win could definitely determine who finishes with the prized fourth spot.
Burnside Heights v Jacana
The winless Burnside Heights host a deflated Jacana this weekend.
Burnside Heights was disposed of easily during their 181-point loss to East Keilor in Round 13. Despite recording one of their highest scores for the year, the Bears were completely outgunned. The season has been one to forget for the Bears and they will struggle this week against a Jacana side looking for redemption.
Jacana were dealt their second loss in succession to Keilor Park last week, going down by 12 points. Bryce Kimuliatis’ eight goals were not enough to help his team over the line. The loss came at a bad time for the Jaguars as they needed the win to get even with fourth spot. If everything goes their way this week they could finally pounce on fourth spot.
