By Sports Desk
Nar Nar Goon will be hoping the old adage of ‘third-time lucky’ rings true when the navy blue and white roll out the red-carpet for reigning-premier Tooradin-Dalmore on Saturday.
The Goon has thrashed Kooweerup and Garfield this season, but it’s the games against fellow premiership contenders Inverloch-Kongwak and Phillip Island that provide a much-better form-line heading into this week’s showdown.
The Goon was disappointed with its opening round performance against the Sea Eagles, losing by 27 points, but could take some real positives away from its draw against Phillip Island last week.
Justin Stanton would be thrilled that he could keep the talented Bulldogs to no goals in the first half, and to just three goals to three-quarter time.
And there was so much learning to take place from their last-quarter fadeout that saw the Bulldogs hit the front before the Goon responded with a last-minute equaliser.
The Goon has been a step-or-two away from the best teams in the competition over the last few years, and didn’t seem to handle it too well when they were a step ahead of the pack last weekend.
Phillip Island lifted its intensity through the midfield, outplaying the Goon’s guns, leaving key defender James Cairns a sitting duck against champion Bulldog Cam Pedersen.
The Bulldogs star was sensational with four last-quarter goals, but the Goon’s lack of stability through the midfield was evident when the game was theirs for the keeping in the last quarter.
Yes, they survived with a draw, but that was a disappointing result after being 29 points up at three-quarter time.
That experience, of handing up a big league, will be a great coaching tool for Stanton to utilise over the coming weeks and months of the season.
This week’s opponent, the Seagulls, well they’ve got some question marks hanging over their heads as well.
Lachie Gillespie knows his side wasn’t playing its best football early in the season, despite victories over Cora Lynn, Kilcunda-Bass and Warragul Industrials.
And that camouflage mask was pulled down a fortnight ago when the Gulls were exposed to a 44-point defeat at the hands of Phillip Island, heading into last week’s bye.
This is a fascinating contest, probably the most highly-anticipated of the season for the supporters of both clubs.
Can the likes of Trent Armour, Brendan Hermann and Eamon Trigg brace themselves for the battle, and how will they handle it if the Goon takes a commanding lead once again?
Will the Gulls be back to their best after a week off, or will the flat nature of their footy carry on into this week’s assignment?
It’s going to be great viewing, a great game of footy…and it’s the Goon to get the choccies by four points.
There are some cracking games this week, and second-seed goes to the clash between Inverloch-Kongwak and Warragul Industrials at Inverloch.
The Sea Eagles cruised into last year’s finals series in third place, and were expected to handle the sixth-placed Dusties quite easily in their elimination final at Dalyston.
But Harmit Singh pulled a rabbit out of the hat, ending the tenure of Sea Eagles premiership coach Ben Soumilas.
The Dusties would prove the victory was no fluke, defeating Cora Lynn in a semi-final before falling just short in a classic preliminary final against Phillip Island.
The Dusties seem to enjoy high-pressure footy, and that’s exactly what they’ll get as Tom Hams, Dylan Clark, Andy Soumilas and Lewis Rankin lead the welcoming party.
Both teams have scored over 100 points twice in the last fortnight, but don’t expect that trend to continue.
Singh will coach to contain, and hope his team is close enough to release the brakes in the final term.
It should be a beauty, but the Sea Eagles will be too strong.
In other games this week, Cora Lynn faces a tough test at home against Dalyston, while Kilcunda-Bass should make it two-on-the-trot against Bunyip.
Phillip Island will be too good for Kooweerup at Denhams Road, while Korumburra-Bena and Garfield are set for a tight tussle at Korumburra.
Both teams have wins over Bunyip, and the winner of this will likely finish highest in the battle of the bottom-three teams in the competition.
We’ll tip the Giants on their own patch of turf.
Tips – Round 5
Saturday 13 May, 2023
CORA LYNN v Dalyston, KILCUNDA BASS v Bunyip, Kooweerup v PHILLIP ISLAND, KORUMBURRA BENA v Garfield, NAR NAR GOON v Tooradin-Dalmore, INVERLOCH-KONGWAK v Warragul Industrials.
SOUTHERN PREVIEW
There will be plenty of eyes this week on Doveton’s clash with Murrumbeena in Division Two of the Southern Football Netball League.
After unconvincingly accounting for East Malvern in round, the 2022 runners up have slumped to three consecutive losses – to East Brighton, Murrumbeena and Hampton Park.
There has been a slightly different flavour to each of those losses but one thing that binds them is Doveton’s struggles to start strongly.
The Doves have scored just three goals in their four first quarters this season and led at quarter time just once.
Overall, they sit -77 before quarter time this season which has seen them have to play catch-up.
“We’ll fight back next week, we’re not giving up on the season because I know the talent is there,” said player-coach Michael Cardamone.
“We have tried different things to address our starts, our intensity is high, we’re changing different things but we always start slow.
“I don’t think it’s anyone’s fault but last year everything clicked and this year, hopefully we can get our wheels in motion and we’ll go through a purple patch through the middle of the year.”
The Doves will hope to start strongly against Murrumbeena, which is one of the club’s in the chasing pack behind clear ladder leaders East Brighton
With Murrumbeena sitting sixth at 3-1 and Doveton seventh at 1-3, it looms as a genuine eight point game with a loss to put mounting pressure on the Doves in the back end of the season.
The Doves again say they will regain ruck Dylan Chapman but have said that for several weeks so he remains a wait-and-see but would be a welcome return to help the midfield get to work.
Tips – Round 5
Saturday May 13, 2023
Division One: Chelsea Heights v ST KILDA CITY, CHELTENHAM v Port Melbourne, St Paul’s McKinnon v CRANBOURNE, DINGLEY v Mordialloc, Bentleigh v SPRINGVALE DISTRICTS.
Division Two: East Malvern v CAULFIELD, EAST BRIGHTON v Skye, KEYSBOROUGH v Black Rock, Highett v DOVETON, Murrumbeena v HAMPTON PARK.
OUTER EAST
Pride Round in the Outer East will see three fixtures in Premier Division and one in Division One.
Gembrook’s Cockatoo’s clash with Upwey Tecoma, slated for this week, was played earlier in the season, while Division One will play a split round.
Two sides yet to register a victory in Premier Division will go head-to-head for a chance to get a win on the board, as Mount Evelyn host Pakenham.
Pakenham will be feeling fresh and ready to go after the bye, and can take plenty of positives from the first two weeks against last year’s grand finalists.
From their three contests, Mount Evelyn have averaged just 56 points per game and sit bottom of the table.
A win will do wonders for the confidence of either side, where a loss will have both chasing their tail for the remainder of the season to avoid the dreaded relegation zone.
In Division One, Berwick Springs will be eager to return to the winner’s list when they head to Belgrave to face the Magpies.
Three losses in a row would be cause for alarm for Rod Benstead’s men, touted as a likely premiership favourite.
Elsewhere, Hallam will be keen to make history with their first win in the league, when they head to Starling Road to battle Officer.
Tips:
Premier Division: WOORI YALLOCK v Olinda Ferny Creek, Monbulk v WANDIN, Mount Evelyn v PAKENHAM.
Division One: Belgrave v BERWICK SPRINGS, OFFICER v Hallam.
