Elastoplast Division 4 Round Preview

By Lincoln Edmunds


Twitter@LincolnEdmunds

ROUND 7 PREVIEW

Sandown V Moorabbin Kangaroos (Edinburgh Reserve)

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The Cobras play host to the Kangaroos when they travel to Edinburgh Reserve on Saturday afternoon. Both sides are coming off losses last round and this game shapes as an interesting contest. Sandown started brightly in their clash against Cerberus but fell away with inaccurate conversion costing them big time. They will be determined to clean up this area of their game if they are to challenge the Roos.

Moorabbin responded somewhat last round, putting in a decent three quarters against the Dolphins to go down in a competitive 16-point loss. Nonetheless that’s three losses in a row for the Roos, all to the top three teams, showing the gap in class between them and the better sides. After starting the season 3-0, the Kangaroos now find themselves out of the top four with a weak percentage of 70.61. A win here is crucial for the away side to get their season back on track.

On their home deck, Sandown will provide a good challenge for the Roos. The Cobras have been competitive right throughout the season and are somewhat unfortunate to only have the one win to their name. One of these weeks they are going to pinch a game against a more fancied opposition and this match certainly provides them with a great opportunity. However, the Cobras should be wary of Dylan Bone who returned to form last weekend with a bag of six goals, his third haul of six this year.

This is a must win game for the Kangaroos and a slip up here could prove costly. With more to play for the Roos should get up but don’t discount the Cobras from giving them a scare.

Moorabbin Kangaroos by 10 points.

 

Lyndhurst V Cerberus (Marriott Waters Reserve)

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Lyndhurst returns to their home fortress to face Cerberus who have some winning momentum behind them. The Lightning are yet to lose a game at home this season with the average winning margin consisting of 46 points. They have been exceptionally impressive all year with the only loss to their name against the undefeated CPL. However, they did endure a scare last round, falling over the line against Dandenong by 14 points after a poor last quarter. With the week off to recharge, the Lightning will be determined to put their scratchy performance behind them and bring their best against the Dogs.

Cerberus are the surprise team of the competition at the moment, stitching together three wins in a row to remarkably put them inside the top four. However they must rise another level if they are to knock off Lyndhurst on their home turf. The Dogs also kicked more points than behinds in their victory over Sandown and can ill afford to waste their chances against the better sides. With the competition hotting up over the crucial fourth spot, expect the Dogs to come to play.

Lyndhurst’s Hamish Browning currently sits in fifth place on the competition goal kicking table with 16 majors to his name. He has scored at least one goal in every game to be a consistent contributor all year. The Dogs will need to curb his influence and keep him quiet. Cerberus have no clear spearhead with Shannon Schonewille the clubs leading goal kicked with seven snags. The Dogs instead rely on several contributors to do the bulk of their scoring. They will need all 22 players on song if they are to produce a victory here.

Although the Dogs have won three on the trot, the Lightning are a strong side and will be even stronger on their beloved home deck.

Lyndhurst by 26 points.

 

Frankston Dolphins V Lyndale (Overport Park)

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Frankston will be looking to consolidate their position in the top four when they host Lyndale at Overport Park on Saturday. The Dolphins have had a cracking start to their first season in the SFNL, sitting at 4-2 with some narrow losses the only minor glitches in their inaugural season.

The Dolphins are the most attacking team in the competition averaging 100.8 points a game. Their entertaining brand of footy has not affected their defensive efforts either, averaging only 55.6 points against. Luke Kirkland has been the standout player so far, comfortably leading the competition goal kicking tally with 30 majors. The Dolphins will be hopeful that his good form continues as they look to register their third win in a row.

In the opposition camp, Lyndale have had a disappointing start to the season. The Pumas sit at 2-4 with their two wins coming against the bottom two sides. They desperately need to claim a big scalp in order to push their finals credentials. Scoring hasn’t been much of an issue for Lyndale, sitting fourth for most points scored in the competition with an average of 74.8 a game. However, their defence has leaked almost as many points, conceding an average of 74 a match. If the Pumas can tighten up their defensive structures they are every chance of kicking a winning score.

Lyndale has two players in the top six leading goal kickers in the league with Trever Kumetaitis (17) and Shane Thomas (15) providing plenty of fire power up forward. For the Dolphins when Luke Kirkland isn’t tearing games apart, Benjamin White has also played some consistent football to have 12 goals next to his name after six rounds.

This will be a good game of footy if Lyndale come to play. Frankston are a good football side however and should have too much class for the Pumas at home.

Frankston Dolphins by 20 points.

 

Carrum Patterson Lakes V Dandenong (Roy Dore Reserve)

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This game shapes up as a mismatch on paper with the undefeated Lions hosting the winless Redlegs at Roy Dore Reserve. However, some newfound interest has been generated after Dandenong’s gallant defeat to second placed Lyndhurst last round. The Redlegs will take plenty of confidence out of the clash, particularly their last term where they kicked four goals to zip, coming mighty close to running over the top of the Lightning. As daunting as facing the Lions on their home deck is, Dandenong will go in with nothing to lose and look to produce another fright.

CPL were challenged in the first half against the Pumas last round, but brushed them off with ease in the final two quarters to run out 49 point winners. The Lions defensive efforts have been first class this season, allowing only 252 points against at an average of 42 points per game. They have only conceded 12 goals in three games at home, ridiculously holding Moorabbin goalless for an entire four quarters in their previous outing at Roy Dore Reserve.

Brenton Rafferty has led the charge as the Lions leading goal scorer, bagging 16 as he continues to find the big sticks. Alex Wilson has also put together a solid block of footy over the past three games and will be hopeful of continuing his good form. For the Redlegs, David Barrie leads the club goal kicking with 13 majors, while Michael Scott has produced some good football at times.

The Redlegs go in as massive underdogs in this clash but they will be hopeful of causing a few headaches. CPL are flying and should notch up their seventh win in a row quite comfortably.

Carrum Patterson Lakes by 45 points.

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