EDFL round 6 preview

By Ken Moore
THIS week’s match of the day will feature Longwarry hosting Catani in a replay of last season’s preliminary final, which was won narrowly by the Blues. Both teams are in tiptop form and have a similar strength in their hardworking midfields. The match should be a ripper.
Longwarry’s youthful midfield looks to be made of the right stuff but a question mark hovers over its ability to match the hardened Catani onball brigade. Based on last week’s resounding victory over Kooweerup, the Crows look to have the goods to win a tight affair.
The odds will be stacked against Warragul Industrials when they welcome Cora Lynn to Western Park. The Dusties have mixed their form and after last week’s abject effort against Catani are likely to bounce back hard, but whether they can take it up to the wellperformed Cobras is another matter. Cora Lynn will miss ruckman Ty Esler, who sustained a broken pelvis in round four, and Jeremy Duiker is sidelined with a shoulder injury. At home, the Dusties will be competitive for a long time but the Cobras have too much class and can be expected to win handsomely.
Lang Lang will be buoyed by its first victory last week. The Swamp Tigers have home advantage this week, however they look hardpressed to take the points against Bunyip. For Lang Lang, tough defender Stuart Casey will miss the match, having another week to serve courtesy of the tribunal, but midfielder Adam Dwyer may return. It is a little hard to decipher the Bulldogs’ form but they have heaps of talent and this season have shown the ability to crush lesser opponents. Furthermore, Daniel Hagen is likely to return and his presence across the halfback line makes the Bulldogs a fivegoal better side. Bunyip’s talls will worry the Tigers and the Bulldogs should win comfortably.
Nar Nar Goon faded in the later part of last week’s game against Lang Lang to derail what was a promising start to the season. This week it faces a test of character against NeerimNeerim South. Little appears to separate these sides. The Cats did little wrong last week against Cora Lynn and with inform captaincoach Paul Whelan it has the firepower to collect its opening victory of the season.
Kooweerup faces a danger game against Poowong. The Demons are missing a number of key players and will face a Magpie lineup with the presence of Devon Meadows recruit Rohan Best, a renowned goalkicker coming in for his first match, having served a suspension carried over from the MPNFL last season. With Best joining Luke James, the Magpies will have the firepower to trouble the Demons, if they can get the better of the centre duels. Stung by harsh words by coach Peter Bastinac after last week’s loss to Longwarry, the Demons should regroup and show their best, but an upset would not surprise.
With three victories under its belt, Buln Buln is proving to be more competitive than many thought. This week it takes on Ellinbank in a game that should go down to the wire. The arrival of Garfield recruit Joel Ferguson gives it a little more firepower to support Matthew Gooden and Brad Taylor and with plenty of handy crumbers I’ll tip that it will register its fourth victory at the expense of Ellinbank.
NilmaDarnum will host Nyora. Only percentage separate the Saints from the top of the table so they are unlikely to take the foot off the pedal and should pummel the cellardwellers.