by Daniel Huttig
Round 9 of the Mallee Football League commences this weekend, with some gripping encounters scheduled. The second placed Sea Lake-Nandaly Tigers play Jeparit-Rainbow on the Rainbow oval for the first match of the round. After knocking off third placed Woomelang-Lascelles in commanding fashion, and overrunning Walpeup-Underbool last week, the Tigers will be looking to boost their percentage with a big win this week. The star-studded Tigers forward line of Cliff Ryan, Jarred Arentz, and Simon Weekly could prove difficult to stop if the Lakers can't control the stoppages around the ground. Luke Werner has been in good form for Jeparit-Rainbow, and Lucas Edelsten has been creating plenty of run, but they need others to stand up and provide assistance. A full 4 quarter performance will be required of the Lakers, who have had plenty of fast starts this season, if they are to keep in touch with this strong Sea Lake-Nandaly side.
Walpeup-Underbool host traditional rivals Ouyen United in what is shaping up to be a cracker of a game. The Roo's got the monkey off the back with their maiden victory of the season the other week, and narrowly went down to Sea Lake-Nandaly last week. The young Demons have won matches when it has counted this year, and beating the reigning premiers last weekend will have them full of confidence heading into this match. Kane Munro has been playing well up forward and will need to be well held by Ouyen. The Roos boast a classy midfield with players such as David Piasente and Simon Brown have been playing well and are more than capable of lifting their side for the home crowd. Brad Vallance looms as the real danger man for the Roos as the Ouyen forward seems to have found another gear over the past few rounds. His pace at ground level and strength overhead will make him a difficult match up. Benjamin Mole is back in form for the Demons, and Marc Hahnel will no doubt be busy in the centre again. There are plenty of key match ups right across the ground and this game will definitely go down to the wire.
The final match of the round sees Woomelang-Lascelles play host to the undefeated Beulah. Last time these two sides met, the Blues were stunned by the opening half of the well drilled Cats, but were good enough to regroup and walk away with a good victory. After loosing last week, the Cats will be determined to get Beulah onto the back foot early again. Nyaburu Kelly is continually getting in the best for Woomelang-Lascelles and his pace, along with the pace and skills of Corey Kelly could prove vital to their chances if winning. Jack Shannahan will no doubt have a big role to fill down back on either Dennis Redden or Lachie Foott, both players are crucial to Beulah's set up. Jayden Lonergan will need other forwards to step up and kick goals as Beulah's Tom Hallam and Fabian Dorbolo have clamped down across the halfback line, restricting access to opposition key forwards. A win to the Cats would put their season back on track, but a big win to the Blues would show everyone just how deep they intend on going into September.
Last Modified on 12/06/2014 20:38