EDFL round 17 preview

By Ken Moore
THE clash between the home side, thirdplaced Bunyip, and the ladder leader Nyora is this week’s match of the round. So faultless had been Nyora’s form that everyone thought it was a case of playing for second until round 15, when it was upset by Cora Lynn.
The Cobras’ victory showed the Saints do have weaknesses and this will give Bunyip plenty of heart. In a trend similar to last season, Bunyip, as soon as it has looked good, has developed a nasty habit of falling over, so this will be yet another chance for the Bulldogs to throw off their tag of underachievers. Bunyip is a far better unit than last year and has more forward potency with Ryan Ablett and more midfield grunt with Ray Ablett, Aaron Henwood and Peter Davenport. With ruckman Shane Mumford in sensational form, the Bulldogs are finding the right balance to be a genuine threat.
The Bulldogs’ key defender Daniel Hagen fell awkwardly last week, injured his arm and must be doubtful yet again. The Bulldogs should be able to hold their own midfield against the Hislop brothers, Corrie and Corey Wilson and Rory Gilliatte. However, there is a question mark over whether it has the defensive strength to counter the forward trio of Chris Langley, Dean Alger and Nathan Osler. Nyora made a telling statement last week by absolutely demolishing Nar Nar Goon and I’ll lean towards the Saints to win by 25 points.
To keep alive its slender chances of sneaking sixth spot, Buln Buln must win against the secondplaced Longwarry. The Lyrebirds have home advantage but, to pull off an upset victory, everything must go right and a lot more. Buln Buln showed plenty of character after halftime last week but one thinks its season will come to an end this week. Longwarry has answered all the sceptics who felt its stunning early form wouldn’t last and its attitude in recent weeks suggests it will not fall at the secondlast hurdle of the homeandaway season.
A victory for the home side Cora Lynn over Lang Lang seems likely.
The Cobras have come good at the right time and have the motivation to preserve fourth spot. Cora Lynn rested halfadozen players last week and should come up relatively fresh. The Tigers have played like a tired side for a good part of the past two weeks and will do well if they can keep the margin to less than 30 points.
Catani will be visited by NeerimNeerim South. At home the Blues are a hard nut to crack, as consistency is one of their trademarks. In this penultimate round the backto back premiers are highly unlikely to suffer a shock defeat at the hands of the Cats.
Kooweerup will be looking towards consolidating sixth spot with a win over Warragul Industrials. The Demons have shown vast improvement over the past two weeks and must win to guarantee a finals appearance. The Dusties have little to play for and this should see that Kooweerup achieves a comfortable victory.
Poowong will meet Ellinbank. With both teams only playing for pride the match has lost a good deal of interest. Both passed up good opportunities to make the top six in the second half of the season and will be left to reflect on what might have been all summer. This result is too close to call with any confidence but, in front of its home supporters, Poowong is likely to have a little more incentive in what should be the tightest match of the round.
After being poleaxed last week by Nyora, the Goon can breathe a sigh of relief this week. Nar Nar Goon has battled hard all year for little reward and will get its opportunity to taste success for the first time since round seven when it welcomes NilmaDarnum. The Bombers’ meagre percentage well sums up their horrible season.