Two sides coming off losses kickstart proceedings in Division 3, with both South Mornington and Endeavour Hills desperate to atone for disappointing results last round. The Tigers were welcomed back to the SFNL in brutal fashion, coughing up ten first quarter goals whilst being held scoreless themselves. They battled hard to reduce the fallout in the remainder of the game but were simply no match for Clayton who look to be a top side.
Endeavour Hills also came up against a new side last week however, this time they came unstuck falling to Narre South in a tight loss. The Falcons tipped to play finals this season would’ve been stung by the result and no doubt hungry to make amends this week. They’ll be desperate to avoid going down to another newcomer in successive weeks.
Doveton and Clayton will clash for four points over at Conway Cranes Power Reserve, with another tough day at the office looming for the home side. The Eagles were blown off the park by Ashwood last week and face no respite coming up against the impressive Clays.
It must be said the home side shouldn’t be judged on their win loss record this season as the club attempts to build stability off the field. That being said the Eagles won’t be content to accept blowouts every single week and will no doubt have a crack here.
The visitors, however, are looking extremely hungry and determined to take the next step towards premiership success and should be far too good here.
Following a stirring victory last week, Narre South enter their clash against South Yarra with their tails up. The Saints were very impressive in their first SFNL outing, downing a decent side in Endeavour Hills and will be good odds to make it two from two here. Keep an eye on key forward Brandon Nolan, who will provide a strong presence up forward for the Saints all season.
South Yarra on the other hand were absolutely humiliated upon their return to Division 3, losing to Black Rock by a whopping margin. The Yarras will need to move on quickly if they are to rebound here but history shows how damaging a loss like that can be early on in a season. They are battling some injuries at the moment, but that alone cannot be the sole difference between winning and being blown off the park like they were.
Black Rock and Ashwood clash in the game of the round that will give us an indication of where both clubs sit come Saturday evening. The Jets were irresistible last week and will fly into this contest ready for a bigger challenge. Gun recruit Ned Fallon looks to have added another piece to a Jets forward half that had 15 individual goal kickers last week!
Ashwood are also coming off a big win after they made mincemeat of Doveton on their home deck. The Pies have had a super preseason with strong numbers on the track and plenty of players at their disposal. New recruit Jack Purcell kicked 12 goals against the Eagles and is sure to cop plenty of attention from the Jets defence. This should be a cracking game, let’s hope we get a grandstand finish!
Division 4 – Round Two Preview
Round 2 of Division 4 gets underway with Lyndale and Frankston both seeking their first win of the year when they do battle. The Dolphins are coming off a disappointing fourth quarter fade out against Cerberus and will have the Pumas firmly in their sights as the collateral damage. The Pumas were swept away in their big loss to Carrum Patterson Lakes and will be hoping for a more consistent performance here. Everything points to Frankston rebounding here.
Hallam host Carrum Patterson Lakes on their home deck looking to rebound from their tight loss to Lyndhurst. Despite going down by just 12 points, the Hawks could only manage one goal for the entire match and will be looking to rectify their scoring issues this week.
It'll be a tough ask against the Lions however who toyed with the Pumas last week, recapturing the blistering brand of footy they displayed in 2018. With plenty of firepower up in the CPL forward line, they should have too many tricks here for the Hawks and bank their second successive away victory.
Cerberus return to their home base with a win in their back pocket and will be confident of collecting another four points when they host Dandenong. The Dogs did the damage in the final quarter last week and it’s no surprise that they are one of the fitter sides going around the competition. The Redlegs were gallant in defeat against Moorabbin, showing plenty of encouraging signs in the 14 point loss. They’ll need to play out of their skins to triumph here, but another effort like last week should see them stay competitive deep into the contest.
Lyndhurst will be confident of notching up back-to-back wins when they host Moorabbin on Saturday afternoon. Despite picking up the four points, the Lightning struggled for efficiency in their forward half only managing three goals for the entire game. Whilst it was good enough to get the chocolates last week, that style won’t stack up against the better sides and they’ll need to find a more consistent avenue to goal.
Moorabbin notched up a gutsy win last week and should head into this clash with nothing to lose. If they can find a way to stretch the Lightning’s defence with bold and attacking footy, they could cause a big boilover here. It shapes up as a fascinating match either way.