Big Weekend Ahead! RD 15 Previews

As we head into the final 2 rounds of the Home and Away season! We take a look at a weekend where ladder positions are up for grabs and plenty of big games this weekend. 

Senior Football

AVOCA V HARCOURT 

Harcourt will travel to the Avoca Public Park full of confidence of posting another victory in their undefeated season so far as Avoca will still be reeling from their loss against Rovers a fortnight ago. Harcourt sit top of the ladder and could be considered flag favourites as they look to go back-to-back premiers.

The Bulldogs have developed a reputation as the season has progressed of never giving in no matter what the state of the game, but they had a lapse in that mentality against Rovers when they just expected the breeze to win the game for them in the last quarter against Rovers.

Coach Zack Lubeek will hope his players have learnt from that mistake and are able to take it up to the flag favourites on Saturday at the Avoca Public Park.

It will be a tough chore for the Bulldogs, but the Lions can obviously be considered the superior team of the two, and if the home team can keep the Lions to below fifteen goals, they will have done a good job.

CARISBROOK V CAMPBELLS Carisbrook v Campbells Creek

Carisbrook host the winless Campbells Creek on Saturday and the form line indicates that it will not be a pretty day for the visitors. While they will be giving their all, as they do each week, Creek will be no match for one of the flag favourites at Redback land on Saturday.

Carisbrook had sixty shots on goal when the two sides met back in round two and as we are approaching the final series in a fortnights time, Carisbrook will be a better drilled unit and much more difficult opponent. The majority of the interest will be in how many goals the MCDFNL Leading goal kicker, Anthony Zelencich can kick as he is on target to reach the 100-goal milestone.

Zelencich kicked nine in their previous encounter in round two and currently has eighty-nine goals for the season and will fancy his chances of kicking eleven goals in the final two games of the home and away season.

Creek has a difficult end to the season facing Carisbrook this week, and Trentham in the final round, and everyone will be hoping that they can give their all in both games, and recruit strongly over the off season and head back up the ladder to enjoy some success in the future.

DUNOLLY V MALDON

Dunolly host Maldon in a must win game for the Eagles to keep their finals hopes alive as they sit just four points outside the top eight, just behind Maldon, Newstead, and Lexton. Dunolly has a superior percentage than Lexton and will be hoping the Tigers will fail in their final two games of the season.

The Eagles won their encounter against Maldon earlier in the season, which was played on Good Friday at Maldon, but a lot of time has passed since then and Maldon will be confident of turning things around on this occasion, especially after their very comfortable win against Campbells Creek in the last round.

Both teams are coming off the bye, so will be well rested, but Dunolly has something to play for when they will be hosting a big crowd of past players and supporters who will be back to celebrate the Eagles 150th Birthday celebrations.

The Eagles are also on the rebound after a dirty day against Natte-Bealiba who won comfortably in the Round 14 match, and they will be eager to put on a good show for the big crowd.

This should be a close game a winner is difficult to predict, but their home ground may give the Eagles the advantage they need to keep their finals hopes alive.

TALBOT V NAVARRE

The Hawks are still alive and kicking, but face a difficult task against Navarre this week in order to keep their finals dream intact.

Last week, in many respects, was a return to form for the Hawks, who set Talbot Recreation Reserve alight in the second term in particular with seven goals, before eventually running out 33-point victors.

They remain just one game outside the top eight.

Standing in the way between them and a return to the top eight is fifth-placed Navarre.

The Hoppers were very much in the game against Trentham last week, and certainly gave them a fright when they were up by 11 points in the final term.

But, like good teams do, the Saints roared back into the game and eventually took a 13-point win.

The Hoppers will not miss finals, due to their percentage break on the chasing pack, but they could still finish as low as eighth if they lose their final two games — and let’s face it, with the Hawks followed by a game against Newstead, they are already essentially playing two elimination finals.

The last meeting in round two saw Cody Driscoll single-handedly guide the Hoppers to victory, kicking eight goals to help them keep the Hawks at bay, winning by 17 points.

NATTE V ROVERS

Maryborough Rovers will have their final road game this weekend when they travel to Natte Bealiba, and it’s an intriguing game in a few respects.

Rovers may have lost by 94 points in their round two meeting, but they have been a much-improved unit throughout the season.

In that game, they suffered the blow of losing Billy Mahony in the opening minutes of the game, while Jayden Templeton kicked eight goals for the Swans.

But with wins against the likes of Royal Park, Campbells Creek, Newstead and Avoca, Rovers have shown that they most certainly are not pushovers in 2023, and given they will amalgamate and become the Maryborough Giants in 2024, there is scope for further improvement as well.

Natte are now locked in to the top four following Navarre’s loss last week, and will have to play the minor premier in the first week of the finals.

Regardless of whether it is Harcourt or Carisbrook — in which the Swans can actually control their own destiny, given they play the Lions in the final round — Natte will be looking to warm up for the finals and get into their best form possible.

With the third best defensive unit in the competition, scoring will not be easy to come by for Rovers on Saturday afternoon, and Natte will also be determined to add to their scoring, sitting a distant fourth behind the runaway top three for most points in the competition.

NEWSTEAD V LEXTON

Let’s cut to the chase about how important this game is for both teams.

Newstead and Lexton currently hold the final two spots in the top eight. A win for either one of these two teams, and they are most likely in the finals. However, the loser of this game, depending on results elsewhere, could find themselves out of the eight.

Starting with the home team — who have now lost five on the bounce. A sixth could prove disastrous, given they may need to beat Navarre at Navarre next week just to make the finals.

They would be rueing their slow start against Talbot last week, one which saw them five goals behind at half time, before making a furious third quarter comeback. But in doing so, they also spent all their petrol tickets as the Hawks finished full of running.

Lexton will also be on the rebound this week, having lost to Harcourt by 75 points two weeks ago before their bye.

The prior meeting in round two was a beauty. Newstead kicked the first five goals of the game, and looked set to have a good afternoon, but Lexton came roaring back into the contest to eventually record an eight-point win.

Expect this game to likewise go down to the wire, with so much to play for in both camps.

TRENTHAM V ROYAL PARK

This week is Royal Park’s final big road trip, and it’s the toughest in MCDFNL football — Trentham at Trentham.

To put all of it into perspective, Trentham’s average winning margin at home this season currently sits at 110.6 points — easily the most between the three teams who have not lost on their home deck this season, with Carisbrook sitting at 79.6 since their return to their base in round seven, while Harcourt sit at 78.8.

In that regard, Royal Park have a big task ahead of them, and they’re also coming off a 184-point defeat at the hands of the Redbacks last week as well.

But Bushy will be looking to repeat the effort they showed against Trentham in round two — in particular, their first half, which yielded four goals as they trailed by 48 points at half time.

While they eventually went down by 124 points, they are the little wins Royal Park have been enjoying prior to the emotional final game they will be playing next week against Talbot, before becoming the Maryborough Giants in 2024.

Trentham will be looking to load up for finals, knowing that they are still in the frame to pounce if one of Carisbrook or Harcourt slip up in the final two rounds.

A Grade Netball

DUNOLLY V MALDON

It’s D-Day for Dunolly, as they’ll determine their destiny with this clash against Maldon.

The Eagles are currently the most vulnerable team inside the top eight if Navarre can win their final two matches, and with this clash followed by a meeting with the unbeaten Carisbrook, it’s an absolute must-win game for the club, especially considering that heroes from yesteryear will be returning for their 150th anniversary celebrations.

However, they do also take winning form against the Dons going into this one, having won a thriller to open the season on Good Friday.

Maldon have been much better than their 11tb placing suggests — they hold the best percentage out of the five teams that are currently outside the top eight, and are comfortably the best defensive unit as well, having conceded 16 fewer goals than ninth-placed Navarre.

They were able to get retribution for their round one loss to Campbells Creek two weeks ago when they held on to win by just one goal, and if they were able to defeat the Eagles, coupled with a Royal Park loss to Trentham, they would move up to 10th on the ladder — not a bad recovery give the Dons were winless after 10 games.

So in many respects, expect this game to go right down to the wire, just as it did on the opening day of the season.

AVOCA V HARCOURT

Harcourt, who are practically just about in the finals, face tough opposition in Avoca and Natte Bealiba to finish off the season.

But, if any team are able to rise up to the challenge and provide a competitive outing, it seems to be Harcourt, who have already enjoyed a pretty good match with Avoca this season, losing their round two match by 15 goals in the midst of the Lions losing four of their opening five games.

Nevertheless, the Lions face a challenge this week in stopping the Bulldogs, who will look to remain at their best and continue to ask the question of both Carisbrook and Natte Bealiba. Amazingly, it seems likely that all three teams can still win the minor premiership going into the final round, with the trio combining for just two losses this season.

Avoca proved far too strong for Rovers in their last game two weeks ago, taking a comfortable 28-goal victory against a team who can provide some genuine headaches against the best teams in the competition.

They will be looking to avoid giving Harcourt a sniff ahead of a big game next week against Lexton. If they were to lose to the Lions, that could be a game that determines third spot — such is the small gap between the top four teams in season 2023.

CARISBROOK V CAMPBELLS CREEK

Carisbrook will be looking to continue their unbeaten run this week when they host Campbells Creek.

A tough run for the Magpies, which has seen them lose 13 games on the run, now sees them on the bottom of the ladder thanks to Talbot’s win over Newstead last week, and with games against the Redbacks and Trentham to follow, it looks a hard task for Creek to avoid the wooden spoon.

It’s especially the case when you consider the Redbacks scored their season-high of 81 goals in their meeting with Creek away from home in round two this season, so any way you look at, it’s a tough assignment for Creek.

In a few respects, Creek have been better than a team that looks likely to come away with the wooden spoon, having had a number of competitive outings against the likes of Avoca, Lexton, Trentham and Newstead, and could easily have won their last game against Maldon two weeks ago.

They will at least be looking to keep the Redbacks honest, much like Royal Park did for a large majority of their meeting with the ladder-leaders last week.

But Carisbrook showed their class in scoring 17 goals to just three in the second term to career away from the Tigers, and will be looking to ensure they are able to wrap this one up ahead of an intriguing final round clash with Dunolly.

TALBOT V NAVARRE

Navarre must win this game to keep their slim hopes alive, but don’t expect the Hawks to give them a leg up, especially after enjoying a win last week.

Their victory against Newstead was a big day for the Hawks in many aspects — not least, it being the first time they’ve won at home in 1870 days.

The win moved them off the bottom of the ladder, and they look set to avoid the wooden spoon — something they can confirm this week if they were able to defeat the Hoppers.

However, they do have a bit of work to do to overcome a 29-goal defeat from their last meeting, as well as the Hoppers hopes of playing finals themselves.

Navarre’s best chance seems to be Dunolly or Harcourt losing their final two games. In fact, they could still yet finish as high as seventh, but only if everything goes their way.

To do that, the Hoppers need to arrest a six-game losing skid, having failed to win since June 3.

After being one of the best defensive teams in the competition to start the season, the Hoppers have steadily fallen down the list — after being as high as second for points against, they now sit ninth in the competition.

However, they may get some respite against a Talbot team that are the lowest scoring team in the competition by 99 goals.

Nevertheless, expect this to be an interesting game.

NATTE BEALIBA V ROVERS

Natte Bealiba will host Maryborough Rovers in an intriguing game which pits a premiership contender against a likely finalist.

It would be a shock if Maryborough Rovers missed out on finals, although they do have a tricky draw in the Swans, as well as the in-form Maldon as well. However, their healthy percentage, and the fact that both Dunolly and Harcourt, directly below them, also have two tough matches to finish their regular season campaign, also plays in their favour.

Nevertheless, they’ll be looking to make an imprint on the Swans this week to show that there are some threats outside the top four, just like Lexton last year.

In their last meeting in round two, Rovers stuck to their mantra of being a competitive team to play against, particularly in the first half, before the Swans drew away and proved much too strong.

The Swans, for their part, will be looking to show how their offensive game has evolved throughout the season, continuing to put up free-wheeling scores, particularly at home, where they average an incredible 71.3 goals per game, which included a haul of 94 goals in their previous home stand against Campbells Creek — comfortably a season high for any club in the competition.

Rovers will need to also improve upon their 28-goal loss to Avoca in their last match two weeks ago, and will be looking to finally secure a safe passage to what would be an emotional finals appearance in their final year.

NEWSTEAD V LEXTON

Newstead host Lexton at Newstead on Saturday.

On the surface, there isn’t a whole deal for both teams to play for — Lexton are locked into the top four, and look likely to face a qualifying final against the minor premiers, whichever one of the three sides above them it may be.

Newstead, in the meantime, are out of contention, and it’s just their ladder position outside the top eight that needs sorting out.

Nevertheless, four points are still on the line, and both teams would doubtless love to add to their win tally this season.

Lexton would be relying on an upset result at Avoca to keep their slim hopes of finishing third alive ahead of a last round showdown with the Bulldogs, and will be buoyed by their 24-goal victory over the Kangaroos in round two.

Newstead, in the meantime, would love a scalp to show that they aren’t that far off the better teams in the competition going into 2024, and would especially love to get a win as a way of bouncing back after their loss to Talbot last week, who had assumed the bottom rung on the ladder coming into the game.

Intriguingly, outside the top three, Newstead recorded the second-best score against Lexton this season when they were able to put up 44 goals, showing that they have a great ability to get goals on the board, and will be looking to do so again this week.

TRENTHAM V ROYAL PARK

Having basically locked in fifth spot, Trentham will look to prepare for their impending elimination final when they host Royal Park on Saturday.

It seems a hard task for anyone to overtake the Saints in fifth, and they’ll be looking to make some good moves going into finals to give themselves the best chance on improving from their elimination final exit in 2022.

For Royal Park, this will be their last road trip, and although playing at Trentham is a challenge, they are buoyed by some good encounters in the past.

In round two this season, the game went down to the wire, with both teams taking turns at dominating territory and possession, before Trentham eventually won a thriller by three goals.

Unfortunately for the Tigers, it’s perhaps a year of what could have been. Seven losses from eight have cruelled them, but they’ve been in decent form against most teams, including a five-goal loss to Harcourt, an 11-goal loss to Lexton and a one-goal loss to Dunolly.

Last week against Carisbrook, the Tigers were able to provide some competitive netball for three quarters. But it was the second quarter which saw them blown away, having scored just three goals, compared to the Redbacks’ 17.

However, they’ll be looking to finish the season, and their time as a club, in the best way possible.