Harcourt v Dunolly
Harcourt will be out to prove that its round one showing against Trentham was more than a flash in the pan, as the Lions prepare to take on a Dunolly team stinging from its opening round loss to Avoca.
The Lions looked like a new side under new coach Sean Smith, and with a dangerous forward line boasting Chris Stone, Joel Smith, Adam Pollock and a host of other attacking options, Harcourt could be a team which surprises more than a few opponents this season. The work of Pollock in the ruck, feeding the likes of Paul Chaplin and Kyle McLean was another weapon in the Lions' 2015 arsenal, and Smith will be hoping his side can use this to their full advantage on Saturday.
New Dunolly coach, the competition's other Shaun Smith, will be disappointed with his side's efforts in their opening round loss to the Bulldogs, and in particular, the Eagles' inability to capitalise on a 10-point three-quarter time lead. While the Eagles boast plenty of options up forward, with the return of Justin Laird helping to shape their forward line, it was down back where the Eagles look most fragile, and against a forward line as potent as Harcourt's, the Dunolly defence will have to be at its best to counter the attacking threat.
Dunolly
B: Justin Moore, Jeremy Hancock, Hayden Wellard
HB: Michael Campbell, Jordi Philbrick, Jordan Fraser
C: Steven Shovan, Chris Wright, Tristan Tack
HF: Ryan O'Keeffe, Bradley Schodde, Joe Thompson
F: Jackson Baker, Peter Wytkamp, Adam Wright
R: Grant Raven, Matthew Gibbs, Jamie Townsend
Int: Braydan Hodge, Charlie Knowles, Corey Dawson, Michael Damen
In: Tristan Tack, Charlie Knowles, Corey Dawson, Adam Wright, Braydan Hodge, Michael Damen
Out: Billy Hawkes, Jesse Hawkes, Justin Laird, Tony Bellenger, Toby Hudson, Damon Frawley
Harcourt
B: Christopher Ling, Kyle McLean, Alan Mack
HB: Sean Moss, Joshua Collinson, Liam Kerkvliet
C: Jackson McMahon, Paul Chaplin, Nathan Mitchell
HF: Sam Gale, Jack Douglass, Daniel Smith
F: Sean Smith, Christopher Stone, Joel Smith
R: Adam Pollock, Adam Ward, Jeffrey McMurtrie
Int: Christopher Smart, Andrew Chapman, Scott Jordan, James Gale
In: James Gale, Andrew Chapman
Out: Brendan Josey, Harrison Weppner
Maryborough Rovers v Navarre
Maryborough Rovers are on a high after starting the season off with a strong come from behind win over Talbot to receive the Barras-Melbourne Trophy and will now be looking to test their skills against the League powerhouse Navarre on Saturday at Jubilee Oval.
Navarre had a very tough contest against Carisbrook in the season opener a fortnight ago and will be very grateful for the week off to fully recover from any soreness sustained in the hard physical encounter, but will also be eager to get back into it and show why they are the flag favourites once again in season 2015.
Many people were surprised that Rovers toppled the Hawks in round 1, but a lot of the Rovers faithful had faith and fully expected the result in their favour, as was the case, when due to a strong pre-season campaign, Rovers fitness allowed them to finish the game full of running with an eight goal final term.
If they can play this type of football against the Grasshoppers, then it could be a very entertaining game, and they will have to play to the best of their ability if they are to have any chance of toppling the flag favourites. Bryce Fletcher is a handy recruit from Kangaroo Flat and he will be tested against the likes of Daniel Parkin and Sam Kaye, while Dion Hedger and Josh Fowkes will also be a great contest in the ruck. Another contest worth viewing will be between Brad Fraser and 2014 MCDFNL Leading Goalkicker Ash Driscoll who was well held last round until late in the game.
This should be a good opportunity for Rovers to see just how much they have improved from last season, but Navarre should still go into the game as favourites.
Maryborough Rovers
B: Tristan Knights, Bradley Fraser,
HB: Brohdie Smyth, Kel Chaffey-Jones, Brayden Guareschi
C: David Popovski, Scott Sellers, Brett Monk
HF: Adam Mclean, Karson Guareschi, Sam Burton
F: Richard Phillips, Trent Monk, Andrew Hughes
R: Dion Hedger, Bryce Fletcher, Brendon Hedger
Int: Daniel Jennison, Christopher Gunn
In: Brett Monk, Trent Monk
Out: Corey Wilson, Grant Ryan
Navarre
B: Jayden Fowkes, Brent Flood, Matt Newton
HB: Aaron Slorach, Lachlan Slorach, Josh Fowkes,
C: Bryce Tickner, Sam Kaye, Billy Parry
HF: Kris Brennan, Daniel Reading, Nicholas Murphy
F: Jesse Hannett, Ashley Driscoll, Cody Driscoll
R: Rhett Murphy, Louis Hannett, Daniel Parkin
Int: Thomas Hannett, Riley Bibby, Aiden Lee, Shaun Clohesy, Harley McKenny
Emg: Adrian Reid
In: Thomas Hannett, Shaun Clohesy, Kris Brennan
Out: James Reicha, Jeremy Harrington
Carisbrook v Royal Park
Carisbrook and Royal Park will enter the second round of the 2015 MCDFNL with both teams in search of their first win for the year.
Two teams tipped to feature deep into the finals series prior to the beginning of this season both suffered losses in their opening round clashes, but not without good reason, with Carisbrook going down to reigning premier, Navarre, while the Tigers went down to a red-hot Natte Bealiba last week.
The two losses weren't without their positives however, with the Rednecks getting close to Navarre and showing some promising signs under new coach Tim McKay, while Royal Park showed more than enough to suggest that they will be a solid side this season.
This early on in the season, it is tough to pick out match-ups which will be key to both sides' chances of winning, however there are players which both coaches will be making sure they keep an eye on in Saturday's clash under lights on the Redbacks' home turf.
Midfield speedster Matt Bilton showed he'd lost none of his pace and aggression at the contest, putting together several scintillating passages of play for the Brook, while Lachlan Edwards proved he will be a solid recruit.
For the Tigers, Michael Noonan and Jake Pring stood out against Natte Bealiba last week, potentially adding a touch of midfield polish and finishing ability which the side lacked in season 2014. Ruckman James Sutherland also stood out for the Tigers against the Swans' dangerous ruck division in last week's loss to Natte Bealiba.
Saturday night's match-up between these two sides should provide both with a chance to prove that they are a genuine finals threat, and should be a fantastic night of football.
Carisbrook
B: Jakob Tidyman, Benjamin Kick, Nathan O'Keefe
HB: Hayden Barby, Kurt Bruechert, Jonathon Gray
C: Liam Tranter, Luke Treacy, Riley Herd
HF: Mitchell Whelan, Adam Hurse, Matthew Jukes
F: Matthew Bilton, Nathan Wright, Timothy McKay
R: Brady Neill, Cole Roscholler, Lachlan Edwards
Int: Ty Stewart, Ryan Cash, Jacob Dyer, Ashley Robinson
In: Ashley Robinson, Ryan Cash, Nathan Wright, Hayden Barby
Out: Isaac Long, Liam Cunningham, Mark Cox, Nichlos Wright
Royal Park
B: James Lindeback, Chris Cowan, Zachary Dunne
HB: Taylor Stewart, William Short, Jay Anderson
C: Murray Bond, Hamish Blake, Shane Gray
HF: Michael Noonan, Jacob Cahill, Jake Pring
F: Brendan Murdoch, Zachary Stewart, Joshua Brown
R: James Sutherland, Ashley Noonan, Stefan Pye
Int: Zachary Tunbridge, Ben Clay, Sam Anderson, Matthew Walker
In: Sam Anderson, Ashley Noonan, Matthew Walker
Out: Christopher Morley, Trent Pye, Lawrence Perks
Trentham v Talbot
Trentham will again host night football in 2015, with Saturday night's clash against Talbot the first of the Saint's nocturnal outings this season.
Both the Saints and the Hawks missed out on first round wins, with the Saints going down to a resurgent Harcourt, while the Hawks found themselves on the wrong end of the scoreline against Maryborough Rovers, and now both will have the chance to open their accounts for 2015.
Under coach Clayton Scoble, the Saints have built a name for themselves as a team who refuse to give up until the final siren has gone, and with some promising young players progressing through the ranks, including young gun Callan Wellings, Trentham are a team to watch over the next few years, and will be viewing this match-up as the perfect chance to showcase its talents.
Talbot appeared to simply run out of legs in the final term against Rovers, squandering a 10-point three-quarter time lead to go down to the Magpies, and first-year coaches Matt Smith and Dallas Byars will be demanding better from their troops this week. A few new faces stood out for the Hawks last round, including Tim Carroll, Brendon Shine and Liam Belcher, and the Hawks will be hoping these recruits can continue their good form as they look to bounce back from a patchy round one showing.
Trentham
B: Daniel Lendrec, Jonathon Nadin, Paul Smith
HB: Brok Wightman, Jamie Cutler, Brendan James
C: Hayden Sundblom, Christopher Whelan, Elliot Drew
HF: Mark Strickland, Taylor Drew, Luke Whitehouse
F: Luke Adams, Curtis McNamara, Justin Hoffman
R: James Wicker, Kasey Williams, Ross Moloney
Int: Lewis Bruton, Jake Keogh, Lucas Byrne, James Gray
In: Curtis McNamara
Out: Callan Wellings
Talbot
B: Daniel Romeo, Josh Sullivan, Kane Heathcock
HB: Matthew Lewis, Timothy Carroll, Matthew Smith
C: Matthew Gayton, Luke Kemp, Jarrod Kemp
HF: Jonathon Arnel, Tom Sutherland, Jorde Bux
F: Brendon Shine, Bradley Coffey, Ross Wise
R: Robert Conroy, Trent Barras, Drew Hancock
Int: Timothy Solomon, Lachlan Griffiths, Liam Belcher, Mathew Whiteman
Emg: James Collings, Kallan Boucher, Clarence Ferguson
In: Mathew Whiteman, James Collings, Kallan Boucher
Campbells Creek v Newstead
Campbells Creek host Newstead in Round 2 of the Bendigo Bank MCDFNL and with both teams losing in round 1 it will be a fiercely contested battle to get a win on the board for the 2015 season.
Newstead have lost a number of players this season including Mark Ramsey and Daniel Christmas from their spine, but were also without 2015 Coach Nathan Webster in their opening round clash with Maldon and he was sorely missed in the middle of the ground as Maldon won many of the clearances from the centre.
It is rumoured that Webster will be missing for some time and his absence could hinder Newstead’s opportunities to win the centre breaks.
Creek has also lost a lot of their midfield firepower from last season and will certainly miss the presence of big Adam Pollock in the Ruck and up forward. Although Creek managed to restrict Lexton to just seven goals in the first half last week and if they can repeat the same effort against Newstead, then they will be in with a big chance of victory.
Newstead still showed some promising signs in round 1 and were able to move the ball quite precisely at times, but could not penetrate the Bombers defensive lines enough to mount the required scoreboard pressure that was required to win the game.
This could be a very entertaining game with both teams a big chance to post their first win.
Campbells Creek
B: Cordie McKendry, Chris Klimeck, Jayden Molloy
HB: Brett Thomson, Ross Slater, Shannon Berriman
C: Davin Nicholls, James Boag, Tim Conder
HF: Matthew Lorenz, Ryan Jeffrey, Cody Adamson
F: Jayson Gilbert, Mark Ashmore, Shaun Boag
R: Dylan Gordois, Daniel Klimeck, Brandon Greenwood
Int: Matthew Halacas, Anthony Taylor, Brayden Beer, Luke Pritchard
In: Cody Adamson, Cordie McKendry
Out: Luke Ashmore, Jye Cartledge
Newstead
B: Ashley Webster, Cody Kirby, Blake Renfrey
HB: Dale Bott, Ben Krol, Brent Devereaux
C: Cameron Trait, Cameron Hepburn, Jordan Long
HF: Liam Gervasoni, Bradley Richardson, Jacob Dalrymple
F: Scott Beames, Adrian Conn, Joel Smith
R: Michael Dalrymple, Adam Hunter, Joel Pearson
Int: Oscar Lynzaat, Sam Daldy, Ricky Bastin, Kyle Hamilton
In: Kyle Hamilton, Sam Daldy, Ricky Bastin
Out: Jonty Entwisle, Jayden Bott, Courtney Brown
Lexton v Maldon
Lexton host Maldon in their second home game of the season and it will be a much tougher game than when they met the Bombers last season.
Maldon showed a vast improvement on last season when they defeated Newstead last Sunday, and much of the improvement was due to the running play of Shaun Burchell who also has the ability to slip forward and kick goals, and the precision use of the ball by key onballer Hayden Kelly was also instrumental in setting up a lot of the entries into the forward 50, while Josh Hutchinson did enough to show that he will benefit the Bombers as his fitness improves as the season progresses.
Lexton had some difficulty in shaking off Campbells Creek until half time in the opening round, but slipped it up a gear in the second half to win quite comfortably. Scott Clark and Jimmy Templeton were key players in the victory, while Lachlan Murray kicked a handful of goals in the absence of gun spearhead Matt Brown.
The Tigers are a very difficult opponent at home and should be able to continue their winning form in this game as they look to stay on top of the ladder.
Lexton
B: Jacob Spolding, Matthew Brown, Dylan Barr
HB: Joshua McVitty, Riley Browne, Liam Cullinan
C: James Morrish, Luke Evans, James Templeton
HF: Mitchell Kennedy, Tim Buby, Nicholas Spolding
F: Jordan Phelan, Ryan Wait, Jordan Egan
R: Nathan Barnes, Bryce Karslake, Justin White
Int: Damon Aspland, Scott Clark, Michael Smith, Nigel Reid
In: Luke Evans, Dylan Barr, Matthew Brown
Out: Ashley Davies, Lachlan Murray, Trevor Johnson
Maldon
B: Matthew Gray, Mark Webb, Jamie Cox
HB: Joshua Roberts, Michael Mulholland, Vaughan Williams
C: Matthew Thompson, Hayden Kelly, Bryce Roberts
HF: Nicholas Kelly, Luke Davey, Christopher Milham
F: Kyle Winstanley, Justin Trevan, Shaun Burchell
R: Josh Pascoe, Joshua Hutchinson, Joel Cross
Int: Jake Elliot, Lachie Josey, Marc Carroll, Jeremy Cross
In: Josh Pascoe, Mark Webb, Justin Trevan, Marc Carroll
Out: Nicholas Petersen, Braedan Turtle, Damien Gatti, Nicholas McKnight
Natte-Bealiba v Avoca
Avoca travel down the rivers to meet their arch rivals Natte Bealiba at Natte Yallock on Sunday.
It is a very strong rivalry between these two combatants that has been ongoing since 1948, and at last count they had played 136 times for 68 wins apiece. Although the Swans have had the upper hand in recent times winning the last four games by significant margins.
The rivalry will most certainly be heightened with the recent departure of former Bulldogs Coach Adrian Pilgrim to the Swans on the eve of the opening round last week and this could possibly add some spice to the match should Pilgrim line up against the Bulldogs on Sunday.
It appears that the Bulldogs did not miss the big Ruckman/Forward in the opening round as they had a very good come from behind win over the Eagles with new recruit Haydn Slater filling the void and kicking the final three goals of the game to seal the victory.
Natte started the season off on a very positive note as they toppled one of the top four fancies in Royal Park in a hard fought clash, and the Swans shared the goalkicking amongst nine players which indicates the outstanding running power that the Swans possess.
An engaging game is expected, but Natte are expected to go in as favourites, and should be able to do enough to win their second game of the season.
Natte Bealiba
To be selected from:
Emmet Smith, Daniel Trewella, Trent Mortlock, Brayden Mills, Jacob Long, Matthew Van Der Ploeg, Jarrod Bateson, Brent Mortlock, Thomas Douglas, Matthew Stagg, Jack Kennedy, Daniel Gifford, Adrian Pilgrim, Dean Graco, Zachary Perez, Lachlan Cameron, Christopher Jardine, Jarrod Graco, Stephen Ross, Nathan Ross, Kurt Mortlock
In: Matthew Stagg
Out: Reece Perry, Michael Columbro
Avoca
B: Toby Beavis, Tyson Wardlaw, Jesse Britton
HB: Hugh Bucknall, Desmond Critchley, Joel Carter
C: Taylor Hall, John Bucknall, Andrew Hewson
HF: Bryce Howell, Ben Howell, Cameron Holland
F: Paul Loaney, Joel Howell, Daniel Howell
R: Lachlan Morganti, Jacob Nicholson, Taylor Raine
Int: Xavier Slater, James Walton, Mark Suckling, Haydn Slater
In: John Bucknall
Out: Michael Henningsen
Last Modified on 24/04/2015 12:47