Welcome back folks from that long weekend! Let’s be honest, we needed the week off to recover from the first two rounds, but, footy was definitely missed! We have some cracking games lined up for round three. The Central Blues take on the Toronto Rebels; the Broadview Hawks pair up with the Toronto Eagles and the Toronto Dingos match up with the travelling Ottawa Swans – all at Humber South. The two away games include Hamilton Wildcats vs Etobicoke Roos at Mohawk Park and Guelph Gargoyles vs High Park Demons at Margaret Greene.
We have an OAFL player milestone game this weekend.Toronto Rebels defender Alex Irwin will play his 50th game against the Central Blues on Saturday. Irwin, a local Canadian, joined the club in 2008 and has honed his skills and become a real talent in just a short space of time. “He brings a strong physical presence into the Rebels back line and has become an integral part of the team, giving his best week after week, “ said Murray Johnston from the Rebels earlier this week. Congratulations Alex! Everyone at the Rebels is proud of your achievement and we all hope to see you through to your next milestone! Great effort mate!
On the Twitter file, here's some of the more memorable tweets from round two.
(This week’s hashtag: #oaflr3 – get on it!)
Derek MacDonald @james_duggan Congrats on game #50, Jimmy. Unlucky you're gonna go down to the Blues. #wegotyournumber #oaflr2
James Duggan @derekmdcom Thanks Georgy. Can't wait to finally beat the Blues tomorrow #longtimecoming #oaflr2
Charles Thompson @cthompson13 All the best tomorrow @james_duggan; top bloke on and off the oval, congrats on hitting 50 #OAFL games!!! #oaflr2 #congrats #50games
Craig Stewart @Dingostewy12 Dingos win big over Blues: 13.12.90 to 4.2.26. Rookie of the year candidate Kyle Morrison with 5 goals in his first game. #oaflr2 #oaflroty
Todd Rogerson @toddytravels @justinjourno #hawkcity rolls! RT: @WILDCATSafc lose a hard to @BroadviewHawks in #Toronto. #oaflr2 #oafl
Round three: Saturday May.26
1. Central Blues (9th, 0-2) vs Toronto Rebels (8th, 1-1) Humber South.
The Central Blues will be itching to get their first win on the board this week, something the Toronto Rebels achieved in round one against the Ottawa Swans. The Blues lost a thriller against the Hawks and were soundly beaten by the Toronto Dingos in round two; as for the Rebels they overcame a sluggish start against the Swans at home and were thumped by the Toronto Eagles. A tough match to call. Both teams are fairly even across the paddock. It’ll come down to fitness in the last quarter, and, maybe who makes less errors? Costly errors, anyway. Perhaps the Rebels will give Alex Irwin a fitting win for his 50th, just like the Dingos did in round two for Jimmy Duggan? One question though: how hungry are the Blues? You know what, it’s going to be that close, I’m tipping a draw – the first for the year! There, that just happened.
Tip: Draw
2. Broadview Hawks (1st, 2-0) vs Toronto Eagles (5th, 1-1) Humber South.
Who would have thought the Broadview Hawks would be sitting on top at this point of the season? Not many. They’ve played some terrific football and this week poses another test: The Toronto Eagles. The Eagles have looked patchy and form has been hard to gauge, with a seven-goal loss to the Wildcats and a massive win against the Rebels. Aaron Falcioni bagged nine goals last game in a return to form up forward – the fella can still take a grab. But, Nick Shuttleworth kicked a bag of his own up forward as well against the Wildcats. On form, I’m sticking with the league leaders in this one based on current form; simply too many good ball carriers in the Hawks camp that are in red hot form.
Tip: Broadview Hawks by 28pts
3. Hamilton Wildcats (7th, 1-1) vs Etobicoke Roos (2nd, 2-0) Mohawk Park.
Not sure what happened to the Hamilton Wildcats in round two. We thought they were the real deal this year, but the Hawks gave them a wake-up call. And, so too, the Roos were less than convincing against Guelph in Guelph, but still managed to iron out a win. The Roos will have to travel again this week and may be missing key players, which will favour the Wildcats. This will be a tough match in the heat down in Hamilton. It’s never easy playing at Mohawk. The Wildcats will come out hard as expected and will want to claim their second win for the season, but if the Roos can weather the early storm and hold firm, a tough win will be the result. It should be a cracking match to watch.
Tip: Etobicoke Roos by 21 pts.
*** MATCH OF THE ROUND ***
4. Guelph Gargoyles (6th, 1-1) vs High Park Demons (4th, 1-1) Margaret Greene Reserve.
Calling this the “match of the round”. Guelph just fell short last round against the Roos (the Gargs love a close game don't they??) and could be a massive chance here to cause a minor upset at home. High Park Demons had a confident win over the Swans last round, but, they’ll have to be at their best here to win – Guelph will not lie down at home. Guelph’s “pack” mentality works better at Margaret Greene than any other ground in Ontario, but the Demons have a pack of their own – a talented group of youngsters. The hard bodies of the Gargoyles might be too much for the smaller frames at Demonland, especially on the smaller ground with not much space. I’m going with the home team this week, as they will be too strong at home.Can the Gargs make it three thrillers in three rounds??
Tip: Guelph Gargoyles by 13pts
5. Toronto Dingos (3rd, 1-1) vs Ottawa Swans (10th, 0-2) Humber South.
The Ottawa Swans are back in the city again this week and take on the Toronto Dingos. The Swans will look to claim their first scalp of the season, the Dingos will want to add another win to their stockpile. The Swans were unlucky in round one against the Rebels, as they played great football for three quarters but couldn’t maintain their pressure and tackling. But, the record will show they showed glimpses of what they’re able to achieve on the road -- but not enough to win. The Toronto Dingos bounced back in round two with a 10-goal win against the Blues after going down to Guelph in a nailbiter. Hard to see the Dingos dropping this one, after showing great form against the Blues.Their Australian players are looking fit and will be hard to stop at home.
Tip: Toronto Dingos by 30pts.
Last Modified on 28/05/2013 09:35