By Ken Moore
A TOP-OF-THE-TABLE showdown between the ladder leaders Garfield and second-placed Lang Lang headlines round 11 on Saturday.
The Tigers have shown vast improvement this season but this will be, by a long way, their biggest test.
The Stars have made every post a winner this season. All and sundry have tried to beat them but nobody has succeeded. Lang Lang should bolster its running brigade with the return of Sean Dwyer and Jarryd Tonks, who both missed last week.
Garfield will have a pleasant but difficult time at the selection table this week trying to find a way to fit Jim Bow, Luke Bee Hugo, Sam Ferguson and Shaun Pickering into its well-oiled team. Whoever gets omitted this week will be desperately unlucky.
The Stars strong work ethic over all four quarters will likely wear the Tigers down in the second half of the game.
@BT Sub Sport Gaz:Neerim Neerim South v Cora Lynn
The sixth-placed Cats will try to plot the downfall of the third-placed Cobras. Both teams have their sights set on a top-two finish and the match should be a humdinger and a tight affair.
Neerim has enough ingredients to be a big player at the business end of the season and Cora Lynn is capable of beating any team on its day.
Hard-working Cats midfielder Cameron Hinkley missed the second half of last week’s match against Buln Buln and must be under an injury cloud but in Chris Urie, Leigh Sheehan and Tyssen Morrow the Cats have some top-line on-ballers.
Cora Lynn has a new look team this year and, with many unfamiliar with the Neerim ground, the home side will have a big advantage and can give its season’s prospects a real shot in the arm with a narrow victory.
@BT Sub Sport Gaz:Poowong v Nar Nar Goon
The Magpies need to make a stand if they are a genuine top six prospect when they host Nar Nar Goon. If ever Poowong is going to knock over a team above it on the ladder, it will not get a better opportunity than this week because the Goon is riddled with injury.
Paul Youle, Stephen Pimm, Craig Eagleton, Brodie Howe, Andrew Oldheadow, Chris Adams and Luke Reddie are just some of the players sidelined in recent weeks.
Unfortunately for Nar Nar Goon, the latter three appear almost certain to miss the entire season.
Poowong will be hoping its injured brigade – ruckman Connor Cunningham, youngster Tom Lancaster and Ryan Dunn – all return. The Goon still has a good mix of seasoned and quality players and until the Magpies prove they can perform against the better sides it is hard to make a case for the home side.
@BT Sub Sport Gaz:Ellinbank v Longwarry
The Bankers promised much at the start of the season but have delivered little. In contrast, their opponents on Saturday, the Crows, have exceeded expectations and had it not been for two one-point losses, they could be occupying sixth spot on the ladder.
Youngster Jack Grogan is expected to return but the Eagles will lose Malcolm Dow (hamstring) which is disappointing for the home side because he was just starting to find a bit of form over recent weeks.
The Crows should be able to match Ellinbank in the midfield and in Luke Bond, who will play against his old side, Luke Serong and Adam Pavlovic it has enough fire power to return home victorious.
@BT Sub Sport Gaz:Bunyip v Catani
On form the Bulldogs should make short work of the Blues. After losses in rounds eight and nine, Bunyip returned to the winning fold and turned heads last week with a convincing victory over Nar Nar Goon and on that form and at home it will be too accomplished.
The Blues have placed too much store on too few and are bereft of a quality defence and in-form forwards.
@BT Sub Sport Gaz:Kooweerup v Warragul Industrials
The Demons shape up to the Dusties, who came off the bye in round nine with a listless one-point win over Longwarry but got into the swing of things last week when they spanked Buln Buln by well over 100 points.
If it can reproduce that type of form Kooweerup could be in for a long afternoon. The Demons have a number of handy youngsters but simply can’t cobble together enough four-quarter efforts.
@BT Sub Sport Gaz:Nilma Darnum v Buln Buln
The Bombers registered their first win last week and will enter short favourites to make it two in a row – and should when hosting the Lyrebirds.
Buln Buln put in too many abject performances and without coach Daniel Charles last week it lacked on-field direction.
The Darnos have some real goers in Michael Mooney, James Hamill and Harley Lacunes and it appears their persistent efforts over the season are now starting to reap dividends.
round 11 TIPS:
bunyip v Catani
Ellinbank v Longwarry
Garfield v Lang Lang
Kooweerup v Warragul Industrials
Neerim Neerim South v Cora Lynn
Nilma Darnum v Buln Buln
Poowong v Nar Nar Goon
