Eagles ready for Shark's bite A WET deck will make it a day for the brave at Boyer Oval today when unbeaten New Norfolk takes on would-be assassin Dodges Ferry in the SFL qualifying final.

New Norfolk coach Anthony McConnon has torn a page out of the coaching manual of St Kilda and Hawthorn premiership coach Allan Jeans for today's conflict.

``The side that goes in and gets it, and puts its head over the ball, gets up an more -->

Eagles leave Dodges in mud WITH its powerful 89-point qualifying final demolition of Dodges Ferry at Boyer yesterday, New Norfolk took a giant step towards claiming the SFL premiership with the perfect season.

The undefeated Eagles soared despite the slippery Boyer battlefield, leaving Dodges to eat mud as the home-town heroes surged to a 14.18 (102) to 1.7 (13) victory.

That a top-heavy New Norfolk was able to find g more -->

Two Blues buried in Eagle's rampage LINDISFARNE coach Daniel Willing stopped short of claiming New Norfolk is unbeatable, but admits it will take something special to dismantle the raging flag favourite.
Willing watched helplessly from the sidelines yesterday as the Eagles disposed of the Two Blues 24.20 (164) to 9.8 (62) at Anzac Park.
The loss was Lindisfarne's third on the trot -- the first time since rounds 7-10 in 2007 the si more -->

Lindisfarne seeks old form LINDISFARNE may be staggering into the SFL finals but coach Daniel Willing is confident one good performance will help his side regain its mojo.
Having lost just two of their previous 35 matches up until three weeks ago, the Two Blues have dropped their past two in a row to surrender second spot.
And the task to halt the slide hits mission impossible today when the side hosts unbeaten New Norfol more -->

Sharks whip up the perfect storm IT was as close to the perfect quarter of football as you could find as Dodges Ferry slammed on 13 goals to give Lindisfarne a terminal case of the blues.
Playing for second spot in the SFL and against a side it has not beaten in two years, Dodges smashed Lindisfarne after an even first half to score a 104-point massacre, 27.14 (176) to 10.12 (72).
The third quarter was precision, high-quality f more -->

Week after thumping Roos give a dumping TRIABUNNA caused the upset of the SFL season yesterday, sensationally dumping last year's Regional League premiers Huonville out of the top six.

Anchored to the bottom of the ladder without a win and a percentage of just 32.71, the Kangaroos shocked the Lions with a 18.14 (122) to 15.13 (103) victory.

Coming off a 250-point hiding from New Norfolk last weekend, Triabunna set up the win with more -->

Sharks set to meet Hawks on unknown territory DODGES Ferry heads to a ground many of the side has never seen to clash with an in-form Central Hawks today.

The Sharks have only played the Hawks at Oatlands, but today venture to Bothwell looking to fine tune their finals preparation.

Having locked in third spot on the SFL ladder, Dodges has only the Hawks and second-placed Lindisfarne left before finals as it has a bye in the last round. more -->

Hoping history fashions success CYGNET'S traditional black and white will come out of retirement today for the club's SFL clash with Kingborough at Cygnet.

One of Australia's oldest and most successful football clubs, Cygnet will honour its 1974 premiership team by wearing black and white, the colours it donned for a century.

Club president Brett Direen said yesterday most of the '74 premiership team, which was coached by more -->

Sharks sharpen up with a slick mauling CLAREMONT'S tenuous hold on the sixth SFL finals spot suffered another nervous wobble with a crushing 109-point loss to Dodges Ferry at Abbotsfield Park yesterday.
With finals challenger Sorell out of action with a bye, Huonville (seventh) missed the chance to move into the six spot when beaten by Kingborough 15.10 (100) to 13.6 (84) at Kermandie.
Dodges Ferry opened with a flurry, kicking three more -->

Pint Sized pocket rocket LOCAL SFL footballers are fast learning to underestimate pint-sized Nathan Ross at their peril and South Australia could be next in line for New Norfolk's crafty forward.
Ross, a 17-year-old spray painter, stands at just 154cm (5ft 1in in the old scale) -- but he doesn't let a lack of height deter his efforts.
The Eagles pocket rocket will today get the chance to shine on a bigger stage when he more -->

Improved Claremont faces critical test CLAREMONT'S grip on sixth spot in the SFL goes on the line today when it hosts Dodges Ferry at Abbotsfield Park.
The Magpies had their six-match unbeaten run snapped by Lindisfarne last weekend and now need to bounce back against the third-placed Sharks.
While sitting a game clear in sixth from Huonville and Sorell, Claremont's poor percentage (76.07) and the fact the Lions have a game in hand m more -->

Soaring Eagles hit flight glitch SFL heavyweight New Norfolk showed its first signs of infallibility despite romping to a 29.18 (192) to 11.12 (78) win over fourth-placed Kingborough at Boyer yesterday.

It was a below par performance from the Eagles, falling below their average winning margin of 146 points, but still it was their ninth 100-point win in 12 matches this season. more -->

Massive Task awaits Tigers HOW do you prepare for an opponent that has won 11 matches straight by an average of 146 points with its closest winning margin being 51 points and has four of the leading 10 goalkickers in the competition?

That's the seemingly impossible task confronting fourth-placed Kingborough coach Adam Henley when the Tigers venture to Boyer for the feature SFL clash with New Norfolk today. more -->

Old-fashioned guts gets South home GUTS and determination were enough for a fading SFL side to wrestle back state bragging rights at North Hobart yesterday.
With 23 of the 24-man southern squad backing up from club matches on Saturday, the SFL's hardened bodies and defensive pressure shone through as Andrew Lamprill's men held on for a 10.22 (82) to 9.12 (66) victory over the NTFL.
The win was set up in the second quarter, when t more -->

Magpies win mud wrestle CLAREMONT racked up its sixth win on the trot with a courageous victory over Central Hawks in an Abbotsfield Park mudbath yesterday and climbed into the top six of the SFL ladder.
The Magpies thrived as the mud Pies on a water-logged deck, downing the fourth-placed Hawks with a gutsy team effort.
Led by the King of Claremont, coach Ben Atkin, the Magpies fought back from six goals down in the op more -->

Revitalising rep teamheavy work for SFL Coach IT will be a nervous wait for SFL coach Andrew Lamprill this afternoon to see how many of his representative players get injured ahead of tomorrow's clash with the NTFL at North Hobart Oval.
Lamprill can not finalise his team until he knows who did not make it through today's round 12 SFL matches, which will all be played on a heavy track.
He will telephone each individual player after 5pm to fi more -->

Umpire Outrage Triabunna suspends SFL Player A TRIABUNNA player has been suspended indefinitely by the club for allegedly verbally threatening and intimidating umpires.
In a number of instances in the last month, reserves coach and senior player Dean Mills is alleged to have threatened match day officials.
The SFL met with Triabunna during the week after the Tasmanian Football Umpires Association threatened to not appoint umpires to games more -->

Two Blues lucky to escape with win LACK of composure at crucial times in the last quarter prevented Kingborough from causing a massive upset over second-placed Lindisfarne yesterday.

Trailing by 31 points at the final change, having clung on all game, the Tigers booted the first two goals of the final term inside three minutes to reduce the margin to 19. more -->

Tough challenge for SFL rep players SFL representative coach Andrew Lamprill will push for the league to allow clubs to use 24 players in club games next weekend -- with the clash against the NTFL the next day.

Kermandie's demise from the league three weeks from the start of the season caused a re-shuffle of the roster at the 11th hour, with the representative game already locked in on June 28. more -->

Tiger's consistent challenge KINGBOROUGH'S football has improved since the opening round -- now coach Adam Henley has thrown down the challenge to find some consistency.

Perennial battlers in the Premier League, the Tigers have regained the winning feeling in the SFL this season to find themselves sitting fourth on the ladder with a 5-4 win loss record. more -->

Win over Sharks sweet music to Eagles NEW Norfolk can now claim the full set after taking the remaining scalp in the SFL by downing Dodges Ferry at Shark Park yesterday.
To underline their competition dominance, the Eagles have beaten the other 10 SFL clubs by an average of 152 points.
Yesterday's 51-point win, 17.19 (121) to 10.10 (70), was its smallest victory margin this year. more -->

Dodges Ferry to stare down the New Norfolk juggernaut TODAY it is Dodges Ferry's turn to step into the abyss and attempt to stop the SFL's juggernaut -- New Norfolk.
New Norfolk has won eight of its first nine games by 100 points-plus, with last round's 57-point win over previously undefeated Lindisfarne as close as the Eagles have come this year. more -->

Eagles to miss Burdon NEW NORFOLK will go into its top-of-the-ladder SFL clash with Lindisfarne at Boyer today missing star forward Adrian Burdon.

The Eagles have lost arguably the most padded man in Aussie Rules football for four to six weeks after he dislocated his shoulder in last week's 148-point win over Central Hawks, the team he used to coach. more -->

Rampant Eagles play the Blues LINDISFARNE yesterday did what no other SFL team has achieved this season at Boyer Oval -- restricted New Norfolk to a sub-100-point win in their round nine encounter.

By downing the Two Blues, the rampant Eagles have now conquered all but one of their 10 rival teams to be undefeated nearing the first rotation of roster games, with Dodges Ferry looming as their next victim on Saturday. more -->

Lindisfarne piles on pressure for rout THE SFL's quest for a tight top-of-the-ladder clash continues after Lindisfarne handed Dodges Ferry a 10-goal thrashing at Anzac Park yesterday.
Both sides went into the match undefeated and it was the visitors who got the strong start.
Dodges kicked four of the first five goals but from then on it was all the Blues as they ran away to a 19.9 (123) to 9.9 (63) win. more -->

SFL's mouth-watering encounter at Anzac Park SOUTHERN Football League fans have been craving a mouth watering encounter all season and round eight today finally delivers.
Unbeaten duo Lindisfarne (third) hosts Dodges Ferry (second) at Anzac Park in a game which promises to put some spark back into the competition.
The Two Blues have played one less match than the Sharks and coach Daniel Willing has labelled the contest an eight-point match more -->

Damp Blues ground Eagles LINDISFARNE remains undefeated after clinching a 23-point victory over Sorell in the SFL yesterday, though the same cannot be said for the team's spirits.

The Blues made fast and concise play in the first half at Anzac Park, before the Eagles outscored them in the final two quarters.

Blues coach Daniel Willing was disappointed in his team's complacent performance and failure to adapt to the more -->

All-powerful Eagles ruffle feathers SORELL coach Fabian Ackroyd has questioned whether AFL Tasmania should have pushed for New Norfolk to play in the revamped State League.

He fears the Eagles' dominance of the SFL could turn players away from the league.

As the Eagles prepare for another tough test against Lindisfarne at Anzac Park today, the difference between the top and bottom sides is glaringly obvious. more -->

White may be key to Sorell's chances SORELL is banking on the return of skipper Josh White to give it a big enough boost in physical presence to topple undefeated Dodges Ferry in their SFL clash at Pembroke Park today.
White missed the Eagles' galant loss to Lindisfarne last week because of the concussion he received from a major hit in the round four clash with Central Hawks a week earlier. more -->

Hungry Sharks make a feast of Sorell DODGES Ferry did what Sorell feared most at Pembroke Park yesterday -- swamping it early and shutting the gate on a home win.
Notching up their sixth win on the trot, the ruthless Sharks look like one of the few teams capable of challenging a rampant New Norfolk, which stayed on top of the SFL ladder with a 186-point thumping of Triabunna on the East Coast.
Sorell coach Fabian Ackroyd hoped his more -->

Dodges ready to prove it's the real deal A SEASON defining month of football starts today for Dodges Ferry, with the side's next four games determining whether they are top three material or pretenders.

The Sharks (6-0) host Central Hawks (4-1), looking to maintain their unbeaten record and keep in touch with pace setters New Norfolk and Lindisfarne. more -->

Young Shark's big draft prospects DODGES Ferry coach Danny Ling believes teenage sensation Jeremy Howe's chances of getting drafted to the AFL depend on performances with the Mariners -- not whether he plays in the State League or SFL.

Despite only playing in the Regional League last year, Howe made three VFL appearances for the Devils and showed he could handle the huge jump in standard.

Howe, 19, stayed with the Sharks thi more -->

Sharks triumph in brutal match TOE-to-toe fray made Shark Park look like a boxing ring as Dodges Ferry knocked out the Central Hawks to remain undefeated in the SFL.

The Hawks attacked the Shark's match-winning running style early but their lack of fitness meant the Sharks smelt blood and the home side took a chunk out of their opponents in the final quarter to win by 72 points.

The Hawks swooped on the chance to score ea more -->

Hawks claw falling Eagles A BULLET-PROOF first quarter performance set the Central Hawks up for a convincing victory over Sorell in round four of the SFL yesterday.
There was no home ground advantage for the Eagles, who were served their first loss for the season, 13.10 (88) to 7.12 (54).
The Eagles' traditional first quarter charge was no where to be seen, as quick centre breaks and strong marks by the Hawks took them t more -->

Allen gives Sorell's forward line focus FRESH from a week's rest after a bye, Sorell is raring to go in its pivotal SFL clash with Central Hawks at Pembroke Park today.
Both teams go into the clash unbeaten, but the Hawks have played one extra match.
Eagles' coach Fabian Ackroyd has recruited well during the off-season, including gaining the services of former AFL player and Statewide star Scott Allen. A win for the home side would ha more -->