SUNBURY KANGAROOS v MOONEE VALLEY
Saturday 2:15pm at Eric Boardman Reserve
TWO of Strathmore Community Bank Division 2’s heavyweights go head-to-head here, but both clubs are entering the game with different build-ups.
The Sunbury Kangaroos had to slog it out in the wet at Burnside Heights last week but were ultimately too good in the end, with key forwards Michael Kilty (four goals), Mitch Streiff (three) and Josh Burgess (two) all firing when it mattered.
The Kangaroos have shown they can win games in a number of ways, whether it be in hard-fought slogs or free-flowing blowouts.
This match-up could easily become the latter.
Moonee Valley’s forward structure is arguably just as dynamic as Sunbury’s, and it’ll be put to the ultimate test here.
Rocky Ferraro and Jordan Faba are in fine form, and if Braden Padmore returns to the side after sitting out of last week’s easy win at Keilor Park, then the Fog has a big chance of handing Sunbury its first loss in EDFL ranks.
The only problem is, Sunbury is easily Division 2’s best defensive unit.
Leg speed could be the key on the wide expanses of Eric Boardman Reserve, a place where only the pacy Northern Saints have pushed the Kangaroos so far this season.
That might be advantage; Moonee Valley.
HADFIELD v BURNSIDE HEIGHTS
Saturday 2:15pm at Martin Reserve
You’ve got to feel for Hadfield a bit, after Jacana’s withdrawal from the competition denied the Hawks a chance to continue their improved form last week.
The Hawks haven’t played since May 11, where they almost upset Coburg Districts at Cole Reserve.
The reality is Hadfield has lost its past three games by single-figure margins and coach Brett Pitts is desperate to turn those honourable losses into wins.
This fixture presents his men with a big chance to get over the hump.
After a blistering start to the season, Burnside Heights has slowed down a touch in recent weeks.
But as good sides do, the Bears are still finding ways to win games... or at least they were until they ran into the Kangaroos last week.
Coach Aidan Stott has done a wonderful job to establish a settled line-up and has only used 27 players to this point of the season, which is a luxury the Bears have never really had.
The benefit of that is the likes of Anthony Fawcus, Adam Sullivan, Stephen Kenrick and Matthew Peterlechner have been allowed to just focus on playing their individual roles as part of what is clearly a well-functioning game plan.
If Josh Covelli can re-capture is early season form, then the Bears will be a big chance of producing something special in late August and early September, but to get there, they need to tick off games like this one.
Burnside Heights needs to prove it is a genuine contender this week, but the well-drilled, defensively-minded Hawks will prove to be a tough opponent.
COBURG DISTRICTS v KEILOR PARK
Saturday 2:15pm at Cole Reserve
Coburg Districts is clearly in a slump and needs to use this opportunity against Keilor Park to get its mojo back.
The Lions were simply too patchy against the Northern Saints last week, but having five changes from the previous week’s loss to Moonee Valley didn’t help things in the lead-up.
Chris Tankard hasn’t had a chance to settle his line-up, due to both injury and recent player movement, but the good news is that there’s still time to salvage something from the season and make a push for finals.
Percentage is going to play a big role in how the final four shapes up, so the Lions can’t afford to let up against the Devils.
That means Coburg Districts could choose to use this game as a chance to put some under-performing players under the acid and make them earn their senior spots for the second half of the year.
Team selection on Friday morning will indicate whether that will be the case but regardless, this is an important week for the Lions to kick-start their 2019 campaign.
For Keilor Park, you have to give credit where it is due.
Coach John Mangos has been open and honest about where his side is at, and the Devils are keeping their heads up despite the damage being inflicted on the scoreboard each week.
They only fielded 20 players against Moonee Valley in Round 7, but Mangos has told essendondfl.com.au that should only be a one-off moving forward, with more players being transferred into the club over the past week.
Districts will win, but we’ll all be curious to see exactly how they go about doing so.
