Ballarat Football League: Huge BFL week

Redan has sharpened its forward line, bringing back Grant Bell, Nathan Horbury, Brenton Riordan and Dan Colbert for a road-trip to Clarke Oval. The Lions are top BFL rankings and are in formidable form but are taking no chances for the next chapter in a long-standing rivalry with the Eastern Lions.

This is an important and emotive match for Sunbury, which will mark one-year since members Albert and Maree Rizk were killed in Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 that was shot down over the Ukraine. Sunbury requested to pay tribute in a match with Redan, the team it played in the wake of the attack.

Sunbury is also battling to keep its footing in an extremely tight fight for top-six spots. Bacchus Marsh has an equally telling match against arch-rival and Darley as does East Point in hosting Lake Wendouree. Darley and the Lakers are only two games ahead of the pack.

Redan has been extremely convincing as a flag favourite since returning from a bye mid last month but this match is also a lead-in to a massive showdown against the North City juggernaut.

Midfield-forward Liam Hoy was a handy inclusion for Redan last week but his solid hit-out, in his first game for the Lions, has earned a recall to North Ballarat Roosters in the Victorian Football League. 

Bell is back from overseas and will be hungry to pick up where he left off in an 11-goal haul last month. Horbury is back from AFL Victoria Country representative duty with Laker Lucas Anderson. North Ballarat City’s Sam Hooper, who played Vic Country under-19s, is also in the BFL mix for a clash against Ballarat.

Sebastopol ruckman Rowan Marshall has been named an emergency for the Roosters’ VFL match, but will not feature in BFL action because the Burras have the bye.

Meanwhile, Gordan key defender Mark Gunnell returns from Vic Country duty to an Eagles’ team looking to bounce back from two consecutive losses in the Central Highlands Football League.