REFRESHED AND READY
By Louie Bulzomi
With a spate of weekends off now behind them, all Millewa Football League clubs will be raring to restart their seasons on the highest possible note.
In the likely match of the round, Cardross have the opportunity to maintain a firm grip on fourth place when they take on top side Werrimull at Henshilwood Oval.
The Lions have shown great promise so far this year, but unfortunately continue to fall short against the upper echelon sides. They’ve lost every game against the top three by an average of 48 points; their 63-point loss to the Magpies in Round 3 the heaviest. It’s no secret that they need to reverse this trend (and quick) if they want to entertain the idea of a Grand Final appearance.
They definitely have the ability, especially with Jake Zoch, Andrew Ferguson, Michael Laird, Cameron Berry and Ben Ransome in outstanding form. But they’ll need a mountain of support in order to curtail the defensive walls of Michael Harradine and Dan Smith, the forward powerhouses in Mark Duscher, Adam Thomson and Ash Bates, and disposal kings Brad Duscher and Ryan Tierney.
At Mildura Senior College, Bambill and Euston collide in a match that, despite it being in Round 8, could be the catalyst for where these two will end up come Round 16.
After ending Werrimull’s undefeated streak, comfortably beating Nangiloc, and welcoming back key premiership players David Hall, Luke Hubble and Andrew Ross from injury, the Saints are their old selves again. Their growing spread of contributors is allowing players like Ryan McClelland, Michael Hickey and Jarratt Farley to become more dangerous, which doesn’t sit well for the rest of the competition. If they can settle their side from now, they’ll be a strong chance to claim top spot by season’s end.
The Bombers are in strife. They’ve lost their past three, averaging just nine goals a game despite the presence of Ian Mennie, Toby Quirk-Meeks and Linden Duryea up forward. Their injury list is increasing, with Anthony McMahon’s knee placing him back on it. And, to make things worse, they haven’t beaten Bambill away from home since 2008 – their only flag year. So they’ll have to rewrite history – and rediscover their attacking prowess – if they are to cause an upset and save their season.
Second-placed Gol Gol play host to winless Nangiloc in a match that the Hawks must not take lightly given what happened last time they met the Demons.
Back in Round 3 Gol Gol prevailed by 30 points, but trailed by 23 at quarter time, with only inaccuracy costing Nangiloc a much bigger lead. Shaun McInerney will surely echo this to his troops, who have really gelled well together and spread the workload around superbly as the season has gone on. Sonny Lindsey is all but pencilled in for a big bag of goals, but should he fail to fire, be sure to see Nick Rodi, David Gray, Darren Brown and many others feature prominently on the scoreboard.
The Demons’ run of bad fortune surely has to end soon. With Cameron Peters in career-best form, Ben Crosbie continuing to prove the worthiness of his recruitment, and Kurt Freer and David Keens showing a lot in front of goal, the breakthrough is well within reach. But they must sustain a four-quarter effort, take risks and capitalise on every opportunity if they are to topple a Hawks side full of confidence and class.
Last Modified on 15/06/2012 07:51