HILLSIDE v CRAIGIEBURN
Saturday 2:15pm at Lionheart Reserve
Hillside and Craigieburn are all set for their clash in this week’s Strathmore Community Bank Division One preliminary final.
The game will be played out at Lionheart Reserve, and in what’s shaping to be an exciting contest, both sides look poised and ready to take their place in the big dance next week.
Hillside come into this bout with both a win and a loss to show for their finals campaign thus far.
They were super impressive in week one, taking down West Coburg in what was a brilliant and classy performance.
After leading for most of the afternoon, they were successfully able to see off a late Burgers challenge and book their place in a qualifying final against Oak Park in the weekend just past.
Oak Park proved too much to handle for the Sharks on Saturday, and the Sharks were dealt a harsh blow as the Roos skipped away to a cruisy 42-point win.
Hillside will be out to make amends and will be confident that they can punch their ticket to Coburg City Oval next week.
Their opponents this week will certainly prove to be a worthy and difficult matchup, with Craigieburn in the midst of a sizzling finals run of their own.
The Eagles put pay to Avondale Heights in week one with an impressive 23-point victory that no doubt raised the eyebrows of those watching on from the side.
While many may have predicted their run to end there, the Eagles proved otherwise with a gusty 12-point win over the second-placed West Coburg last week.
They bounced the Burgers out in straight sets and will be out to claim another scalp in Hillside this week, on their way to Coburg City Oval.
The last time these two sides met it was the Eagles who defeated the Sharks by a convincing 59 points at DS Aitken Reserve to level the in-season record between the two.
Hillside’s Josh Covelli and Khalil Kaakour will be the two to watch again this week.
Covelli is due for a fill up after he was held goalless last week by a dominant Oak Park defence. Sitting on 93 goals for the year, no doubt Covelli will look to make his presence felt early.
Kaakour also poses as a serious challenge for the Eagles. The young gun has been impressive throughout the season and is one to keep an eye on.
For the Eagles, usual suspect Jai Robinson is the one who needs to bring his best again.
Robinson was superb in last week’s victory over West Coburg with a performance that saw him named as the Mt Alexander Hotel Player of the Match.
He amassed 45 disposals and 11 rebound 50s in a match-defining performance for his side.
With a spot in the Strathmore Community Bank Men’s Division One grand final on the line, neither side has anything to lose, and this one is set to be a thriller.
