at Wallace, Saturday, 2.30pm

Last time: Springbank 14.12 (96) d Hepburn 9.7 (61), round 4, 2016

Hepburn coach Jason Olver has no hesitation in labeling Springbank the clear benchmark of the competition.

And it’s not hard to see why, with the Tigers the sole unbeaten team in the league after eight rounds.

Olver said Springbank currently has a fair margin on the rest of the sides in 2017.

“I honestly think they are still four or five goals better than anyone else in the competition,” Olver told The Courier.

Olver said even with the talent the Tigers have out – four key senior players are overseas and others are injured or unavailable – they still have plenty of quality to contend with.

Hepburn meets Springbank this Saturday on the back of five-straight wins, including a stirring success against Beaufort last weekend with the services of former AFL star Nick Dal Santo.

Dal Santo is not playing against the Tigers and makes way for vice-captain Dan O’Halloran, who has been named to start in his first game since round one.

O’Halloran suffered a bad back injury after an incident against the Cats and has missed the early part of the season.

Springbank coach Michael Searl said defender Peter Lewis (knee) and onballer Drew Tyler (unavailable) would be missing from the senior team against the Burras.

Prediction: Hepburn

Dunnstown v Rokewood-Corindhap

at Dunnstown, Saturday, 2.30pm

Last time: Dunnstown 15.9 (99) d Rokewood-Corindhap 11.5 (71), round 6, 2016

Dunnstown sits lonely at the bottom of the ladder after going winless through the opening eight rounds of the year.

But the Towners get another good chance to break the duck when they come up against a Rokewood-Corindhap outfit that hasn’t set the world on fire in 2017.

Coach Justin Abrams said the Dunnstown side heads into the clash with the Grasshoppers on the back of some good form, despite losses to Hepburn and Waubra.

Abrams said it has been tough on his group playing seven finalists inside the opening eight rounds of the campaign.

“When you cop seven that are clearly better than you, I wouldn’t say it breaks your spirit, but it makes things very, very difficult,” Abrams said.

Abrams said he hasn’t spoken to the group about breaking through for its first win this week, but admits it will be great reward if his team can get over the Grasshoppers.

Rokewood-Corindhap has managed just the two wins in 2017 and missed a good opportunity for a third against Ballan last weekend.

Missing coach Jarrod Thompson to a hamstring injury, the Grasshoppers lost to the Blues by 24 points.

Thompson is set to return to the team this Saturday alongside his assistant Jason Hutchins, who booted five goals in the reserves last weekend.

Prediction: Dunnstown

Beaufort v Waubra

at Beaufort, Saturday, 2.30pm

Last time: Waubra 12.14 (86) d Beaufort 7.7 (49), round 5, 2016

Beaufort young gun Lachlan Pfeifer will miss the rest of the Central Highlands Football League season after confirmation he has ruptured an anterior cruciate ligament.

Pfeifer suffered the injury during the round six clash with Dunnstown and is set to have surgery in the coming week.

It’s a huge blow according to coach Rohan Brown, who had labelled Pfeifer as one of the Beaufort players he was most excited about at the start of the season.

“He had scans and unfortunately for Lachie he’s done an ACL, which is really bad news for him and the club,” Brown said.

After dropping the past two fixtures, the Crows are now fifth on the ladder.

And despite the importance of this game, Brown admitted he would have taken a 6-3 win-loss ratio after nine rounds if it was offered to him at the start of the campaign.

This is because the Crows have had a super tough start to the year, with games against seven of the 2016 finalists in the opening nine rounds.

Brown has given injured onballer/forward Alex Petrie another week to recover from an Achilles injury, while backman Brendan Howard has been named to play despite hurting a hamstring against Hepburn last Saturday.

Waubra climbed to second on the ladder after last weekend’s win and has made two changes to that winning side.

Prediction: Beaufort

Ballan v Skipton

at Ballan, Saturday, 2.30pm

Last time: Ballan 14.12 (96) d Skipton 3.5 (23), round 9, 2016

Ballan: Coach Jason McNamara and experienced Blues player Ash Mullane are away this weekend for the wedding of former Ballan leader Justin McConnell.

But the team gets back the important Jarryd Graham, Sam Sher and Michael Snaith for the clash with the battling Emus.

Skipton: The Emus continue to deal with a shortage of senior players and this weekend the side will be without ruckman Marcus Merryfull, who is unavailable.

However, the return of important forward Jarred Crabtree is handy after he missed last weekend's loss to Buninyong with a groin injury.

Prediction: Ballan

Bungaree v Clunes

at Bungaree, Saturday, 2.30pm

Last time: Bungaree 22.21 (153) d Clunes 3.3 (21), round 3, 2016

Bungaree: The Demons have left out key players Chase Morgan and Jack Oostendorp after they picked up injuries during the weekend's win over Creswick.

Senior coach Heath Pyke said Morgan was battling an ankle issue and Oostendorp had a knee complaint.

Clunes: After a run of defeats, things don't get any easier for the Magpies this Saturday.

Clunes tackles Bungaree this weekend and then battles finals-bound sides Gordon and Buninyong before the mid-season break.

Prediction: Bungaree

Buninyong v Creswick

at Buninyong, Saturday, 2.30pm

Last time: Buninyong 8.9 (57) d Creswick 3.5 (23), round 14, 2016

Buninyong: Versatile defender Adam Scott has been named to return from a nagging calf injury in the clash with Creswick.

Scott has missed the past few games and makes his comeback alongside half forward Dan Pelchen, who is free of work commitments with Collingwood in the AFL.

Creswick: The Wickers have fallen well short in their battles against finals contenders during the past two weeks, but get another chance to clash with a top-end side this Saturday.

Important defender Matt Miller is a likely inclusion into a side that was thumped by Gordon last weekend.

Prediction: Buninyong

Gordon v Carngham-Linton

at Gordon, Saturday, 2.30pm

Last time: Gordon 26.20 (176) d Carngham-Linton 4.5 (29), round 2, 2016

Gordon: Tall forward Brendan Sutcliffe returns to a Gordon side that has landed some big wins in recent weeks.

Gordon coach Gary Learmonth said Sutcliffe had missed the win over Creswick with a knee injury and makes his way into a line-up that will be without clever onballer/forward Chris McGuigan, who is unavailable.

Carngham-Linton: The Saints have shown some good improvement this season, but it is in the midst of a tricky period in its campaign.

After losses to Daylesford and Bungaree, the team now prepares for more 2016 finalists in Gordon and Buninyong in the coming weeks.

Prediction: Gordon

Newlyn v Learmonth

at Newlyn, Saturday, 2.30pm

Last time: Newlyn 9.7 (61) d Learmonth 6.19 (55), round 10, 2016

Newlyn: With a couple of disappointing defeats, it hasn't been a super start to the year for the Cats. But the team still finds itself among the contenders for a lower-end place in the top eight.

Newlyn sits 10th and just a game and percentage outside the eight heading into the game against Learmonth.

Learmonth: Key forward Todd Curran has been sidelined with a knee injury he aggravated in last weekend's loss to reigning back-to-back premiers Springbank.

Curran has booted 20 goals this season to be one of the leading forwards in the competition after eight rounds.

Prediction: Learmonth