STRATHMORE v ABERFELDIE
Saturday 2:15pm at Lebanon Reserve
YOU could comfortably mount a fair argument that Strathmore is coming into this game with better form than Aberfeldie.
The Mores have won five straight games, including a win over higher-placed Greenvale, while Aberfeldie is only 4-1 over the same time span.
The narrative around Strathmore all year has been its promising youth, but that seems to have overshadowed the quality footy continually being produced from its experienced brigade.
Strathmore‘s best players so far this year have been Luke Jarrad, who is a rebounding star, stand-in captain Xavier Allison, who has stood tall in the absence of Andrew Horne, the evergreen Adam Iacobucci, fellow 2014 premiership player Shane Foulds and one of the EDFL’s best contested marks in Josh Helliwell.
Add to that the ever-improving ruckman Andrew Vavra, former Bomber, Nick O’Brien and former WRFL star defender and new Mores recruit, Liam Cavanagh.
This is a seriously good team, but now comes its big test.
The Mores play Aberfeldie this week and then undefeated Keilor in Round 11, having beaten neither of them earlier this year.
Aberfeldie is still missing some key pieces, but it hasn’t seemed to matter too much in recent wins over Maribyrnong Park, Pascoe Vale and Glenroy.
Team selections, to be released on Friday morning, could prove telling in the lead-up to this one.
The two-time defending premiers remain favourites here, but no one should be too shocked if Strathmore gets up.
KEILOR v GLENROY
Saturday 2:15pm at Keilor Reserve
It’s getting harder and harder to remain positive about Glenroy.
Since their only win back in Round 4 at Airport West, the only thing the Roys have done that you could put into the positive column is grind out a draw against Pascoe Vale.
There were two recent losses against Essendon Doutta Stars and Maribyrnong Park where they weren’t disgraced, but any of the goodwill coming Glenroy’s way quickly went out the window when an undermanned Aberfeldie came to Sewell Reserve last week and handed the Roys a 95-point defeat.
Granted, they were down four of their 2017 premiership players and Aaron Kite against Aberfeldie, but with the threat of relegation looming large, Glenroy needs to be better than this.
Their plight only gets harder here, as Keilor is the team Glenroy has had most trouble with since being promoted into the top flight.
The Blues have been remarkable given their severe injury toll.
All year the midfield was mostly affected but now the forward line is down on numbers, with Dean Galea and David Gourdis both missing from last week’s 101-point win at Maribyrnong Park.
Galea in particular has enjoyed beating up on Glenroy’s back line in recent meetings between these two, so the Roys will be hoping to benefit from his likely absence.
Glenroy is a chance if it can bring the heat for four quarters, but Keilor would probably need to be a little off for an upset to occur here.
At 9-0, is Keilor due for a loss?
