By DAVID NAGEL
WITH just five rounds to go it seems an opportune time to look ahead to the remaining fixtures and pin-point the games that will define the season. All teams judge success in different ways and there’s opportunities a plenty for all teams to make their mark and end their season’s on a high.
CRANBOURNE 40: Pakenham (A-away), Hampton Park (H-home), Tooradin (A), Keysborough (H), Doveton (A) – Not the end of the world but it looks like losing top-spot to Narre Warren before season’s end. Needs to make hay while the sun shines over the next fortnight.
NARRE WARREN 36: Hampton Park (A), Pakenham (H), ROC (H), Berwick (A), Tooradin (H), Keysborough (A) – The game in hand against ROC from round nine is crucial as it builds percentage. Six games remain with five against team’s ranked six to 10. Should finish on top.
TOORADIN 32: ROC (H), Beaconsfield (A), Cranbourne (H), Narre Warren (A), Pakenham (H) – Lock-in two wins and two losses with the round 13 clash with Beaconsfield to decide third spot. Percentage will take a tumble in rounds 14 and 15.
DOVETON 28: Keysborough (A), Berwick (H), ROC (H), Beaconsfield (A), Cranbourne (H) – The Doves’ games with Berwick and Beaconsfield are the key to everything. Win both and they finish top-three, lose both and they could miss out.
BEACONSFIELD 24: Berwick (A), Tooradin (H), Keysborough (A), Doveton (H), ROC (A) – Can shut the door on Berwick with a win this week but then settles into a battle for third place with Tooradin and Doveton. Destiny is in its own hands and our top pick for the double chance.
BERWICK 20: Beaconsfield (H), Doveton (A), Narre Warren (H), Pakenham (A), Hampton Park (H) – Narre looks too good, so needs to win all other matches to be a chance, and even then things might not pan out. For the next fortnight at least, they control their own destiny. One slip up and they’re gone.
KEYSBOROUGH 20: Doveton (H), ROC (A), Beaconsfield (H), Cranbourne (A), Narre Warren (H) – A surprise home victory against Doveton or Beaconsfield will really affect the make-up of the top five. A toss of the coin with ROC in round 13 its best chance of success.
ROC 8: Tooradin (A), Keysborough (H), Doveton (A), Hampton Park (A), Beaconsfield (H) – Could finish on a high with two wins from its last five games but looks too-far out-of-form to trouble the finals aspirants.
PAKENHAM 8: Cranbourne (H), Narre Warren (A), Hampton Park (H), Berwick (H), Tooradin (A) – A punishing fortnight ahead but has Hampton Park to look forward to after that and might surprise Berwick at home in round 15.
HAMPTON PARK 0: Narre Warren (H), Cranbourne (A), Pakenham (A), ROC (H), Berwick (A) – Like the Lions, will suffer severely over the next two weeks before they clash at Pakenham in round 14. Will set themselves for the home clash with ROC in round 15.
