West Coburg and Deer Park will meet for the third time this season after delivering two must-watch games of footy decided within a kick, one of which came after the siren with the Burgers picking up the two victories so far.
Many thought Jesse Martini’s heroics could be the Grand Final preview and this could be another opportunity to see these sides in action before the big dance, the winner booking the first spot and the loser entering a prelim.
Dale May’s men will be refreshed after a week off and have been the benchmark in 2023 going through the season undefeated.
The Lions are coming off a strong win against Rupertswood with coach Heath Scotland describing it as one of their most complete performances so far this season.
The Burgers have been the most prolific at both ends of the ground and have found a way to take the win both times against Deer Park with accurate kicking in the first contest, and persistence in the dying stages the second time around.
Their second win was made more impressive by the fact that league leading goal kicker Omar Saad was well held and they were able to find other avenues to goal.
Ibby Taha matched his efforts from the first contest with another four goals, but it must be said that West Coburg’s inaccuracy prevented them from getting an early lead, a reversal from the first meeting where Deer Park were unable to capitalise in front of goals.
The midfield battle will be the most intriguing with both engine rooms stacked with stars.
Dinny Cleary, Tom Baravi, Tom Drake, and Jonah Horo saw the most minutes in midfield and will go up against Nash Holmes, Tom Mundy, Jack Dorgan, and Michael Edwards.
The depth and balance of both midfields will counteract the advantage Scott Greenhough enjoyed in the ruck against an undersized Damian Galofaro, but Greenhough’s mobility and presence around the ground is one May will keep an eye on.
Todd Elton was well held by the disciplined defence of West Coburg but looked likely in the ruck when Scotland tried to get him more involved.
It’ll be interesting to see who matches up with Greenhough at the first bounce as that is the only area Deer Park had a clear advantage in their last contest.
There will be stars everywhere and this one is poised to be yet another classic between these two sides looking to earn their way into the top flight.
Shark Week returns with Rupertswood and Hillside doing battle in a do-or-die clash in their bid to keep their finals runs alive.
The season series has been split down the middle with Hillside taking out the win in Round 1, and Rupertswood squaring up in Round 13.
Hillside were in control for large portions of their second contest but weren’t able to contain scoring streaks from Rupertswood which let them back in the game, and ultimately cost them the victory.
Arron Bray threw Zak Saad into the midfield to thwart Hillside’s control on that part of the ground and was a key difference in the second half where Rupo kicked the final six goals of the game.
He also enjoyed the luxury of the venerable Dean Galea roaming the forward 50 as he booted five majors after not appearing in the Round 1 clash.
Charlie Denaro enjoyed a similar luxury with Josh Covelli kicking five goals in the first game, and three goals inside the first 10 minutes before injuring his hamstring.
He returned to the senior side in the first final and kicked six despite battling a knee injury, so it’ll be interesting to see if he can have the impact we’ve come to expect from the big spearhead.
Rupertswood picked up a couple of injuries in their loss to Deer Park which will make team selection interesting, while it’s unknown if Anthony Prestia will get up for selection with a hamstring injury of his own.
Rupo have been dubbed the “giant killers” so you can expect them to bounce back strongly, while Hillside will be full of confidence after a good performance against St Albans.
Taylors Lakes will utilise their double chance against a hungry Sunbury Kangaroos outfit fresh off a fighting win against Northern Saints in their Elimination Final.
Shannon Carroll’s men fought back in that game after trailing by five goals at the first change, a common denominator after earning their spot in the finals series after beginning the year 0-5.
They’ve had a number of close losses this season, one of which a one-point loss to Taylors Lakes in Round 12.
The Kangaroos kicked four goals to one in the final quarter in a low-scoring affair and with a potent forward half, they’ve well and truly earned their spot in this prelim despite being the underdogs.
Rhys Magin and Brody Watts have combined for 89 goals this season with Matthew Leonard and John Corso also scoring more than 20 goals.
Taylors Lakes will go in as the favourites after establishing themselves as the next best behind Oak Park, a stunning turnaround with Steve Burns resurrecting a five-win 2022 season.
The Lions also took out the first meeting between these sides with a 23-point win and have started to field their best 22 in recent weeks with the return of Jake Toa providing a solid combination with Andrew Gallina in the ruck rotation.
Aaron Vendramini’s season is over after sustaining an ankle injury in their loss to Oak Park, while skipper Sonny Briz is a test for this weekend with a hamstring injury.
Despite the scoreline, Taylors Lakes were well in the contest last week with inaccurate kicking costing them early, but they were able to match Oak Park’s nine goals after the first change.
It’s do or die, a spot in the Grand Final against Oak Park is up for grabs. Will Taylors Lakes get another opportunity or will it be a complete Kangaroo battle?
THIS WEEKEND’S FIXTURES
WEST COBURG v DEER PARK
Saturday 2:15pm at Sewell Reserve
RUPERTSWOOD v HILLSIDE
🎥 Cluch TV
📻 98.9 North West FM
Sunday 2:15pm at Joe Brown Oval
TAYLORS LAKES v SUNBURY KANGAROOS
🎥 Cluch TV
📻 98.9 North West FM
Saturday 2:15pm at Salesian College
