at Daylesford, Saturday, 2.30pm

Last time: Springbank 14.8 (92) d Daylesford 7.5 (47), round 10, 2016

Matt Tyler has joined the long list of senior players unavailable as the depth continues to be tested at Springbank.

Tyler has been ruled out of the team to take on Daylesford, with Tigers coach Michael Searl saying the key defender felt sore in the hamstring at training on Monday night.

The former Brisbane Lions-listed footballer has enjoyed a strong first half of the season and has been named in Springbank’s best players on six occasions.

Joining Tyler on the sidelines will be Searl, who injured a knee in the win over Waubra before the competition bye.

Searl said he is still battling soreness in the knee and didn’t appear confident of recovering in time for the round 13 encounter with Rokewood-Corindhap.

In a boost, classy onballer Nick Couch is back for this weekend’s clash, as is veteran half back Simon Quinlan.

While the reigning back-to-back premiers sit pretty at the top of the ladder, the Bulldogs are in a fight to hold their place inside the eight for finals.

Last round’s win over Newlyn lifted the side into the finals bracket, but tough assignments against the Tigers, Bungaree, Gordon and Buninyong mean staying there is a difficult task.

Forward Max Risstrom – sidelined since injuring a shoulder in round three – is a big inclusion for the Bulldogs this weekend.

Prediction: Springbank

Learmonth v Gordon

at Learmonth, Saturday, 2.30pm

Last time: Gordon 13.15 (93) d Learmonth 11.9 (75), round 7, 2016

Gordon coach Gary Learmonth says he is “not at all” worried by the mid-season departures of two senior players from the club.

Steve Patterson and Jaymes Gorman have both lodged clearances away from the Eagles and are no longer part of the club’s plans for 2017.

Gordon president Peter Clifford has told The Courier Patterson was let go by the club for disciplinary reasons, while Gorman has successfully joined Buninyong.

Learmonth said the exits would possibly “galvanise” the senior group ahead of an important period in its season.

After two weekends off, the Eagles take on Learmonth this Saturday and then have difficult games against a number of top eight sides before finals.

The Gordon coach said retired Ballarat Football League champion Jarrod Edwards remained unlikely to play with the Eagles despite lodging a clearance to the club last week.

In some good news for Gordon, important defender Adam Toohey has been picked to make his comeback from a broken collarbone he sustained in the round three loss to Beaufort.

There is a number of changes to the Learmonth side that lost to Bungaree before the bye, with prolific forward Brodrick Campbell the big out following a heavy clash of bodies that left him with a shoulder injury.

Prediction: Gordon

Carngham-Linton v Dunnstown

at Snake Valley, Saturday, 2.30pm

Last time: Dunnstown 28.24 (192) d Carngham-Linton, 4.6 (30), round 5, 2016

Dunnstown coach Justin Abrams has spoken about the shock loss of passionate club supporter Phil Collins, who died suddenly last week.

Abrams had worked closely with Collins since joining the Towners as senior coach for the 2015 Central Highlands Football League season and is one of many deeply saddened by his death.

Collins had been chairman of selectors in 2017 and worked hard on opposition analysis in the lead-up to his passing.

Abrams said Collins would leave a massive gap at the club.

“Just on a personal level, I’ll miss him immensely,” he said.

Abrams said he expected Collins’ sons and regular members of the Dunnstown senior side Tim and Ben to miss the game on Saturday against Carngham-Linton, but both were named in the line-up on Thursday night.

The clash against the Saints is a great opportunity for the Towners to string together a fourth-straight success after wins over Rokewood-Corindhap, Skipton and Creswick in recent outings.

Carngham-Linton, which is chasing its first triumph since round six, welcomes back the important Jacob Dawson on Saturday.

The Ian McBain shield – awarded to the best player in the senior football match – is also up for grabs on the weekend.

Prediction: Dunnstown

Clunes v Ballan

at Clunes, Saturday, 2.30pm

Last time: Ballan 22.23 (155) d Clunes 7.0 (42), round 4, 2016

Clunes: After a sequence of tough games, the Magpies will be looking at this contest as a real chance for their third win of the season.

After prevailing in rounds one and two, Clunes has suffered defeats in its past eight games to sit 14th on the ladder.

Ballan: The Blues have lost Jarryd Graham for the rest of the season, with the onballer cleared back to AFL Townsville side University Hawks.

The transfer window is now closed, meaning Graham can't continue to interchange between the two competitions as he has done for much of 2017.

Prediction: Ballan

Creswick v Beaufort

at Creswick, Saturday, 2.30pm

Last time: Beaufort 17.11 (113) d Creswick 3.9 (27), round 13, 2016

Creswick: Things could be much different for the Wickers, which suffered their third defeat under 10 points this season in the clash with Dunnstown before the competition bye.

The team, which is 12th on the ladder, will again be without Darrian Mann, who is serving the second week of a suspension he received for striking in the tie with Ballan.

Beaufort: Crows coach Rohan Brown said key trio Brendan Howard, Joe Mason and Lee Marshall were to undergo fitness tests on Thursday night ahead of likely recalls for the clash with Creswick.

Howard, a key defender, has been out of the senior side for some time after injuring a hamstring in the battle with Hepburn in early June.

Prediction: Beaufort

Newlyn v Bungaree

at Newlyn, Saturday, 2.30pm

Last time: Bungaree 15.15 (105) d Newlyn 4.4 (28), round 7, 2016

Newlyn: The Cats are set to welcome back key forward Declan Lourey and ruckman Stuart Robinson for the clash against Bungaree.

Lourey is back from overseas travel and returns to the team alongside Robinson, who missed last round's loss to Daylesford because of injury.

Bungaree: Demons coach Heath Pyke has added Matt Geary to the long list of injury concerns, revealing the key backman has just found out that he has been carrying a fractured rib.

Geary will miss this weekend's clash with Newlyn as the Bungaree boys look to consolidate their place inside the top four.

Prediction: Bungaree

Rokewood-Corindhap v Waubra

at Rokewood, Saturday, 2.30pm

Last time: Waubra 13.16 (94) d Rokewood-Corindhap 7.2 (44), round 2, 2016

Rokewood-Corindhap: The Grasshoppers have made a stack of changes, with a number of key figures returning to the senior side from injury.

Among the ins are Rokewood-Corindhap assistant coaches Jason Hutchins and Damon Delaney and backman Jonathan Willey. All three players were battling hamstring issues.

Waubra: Star onballer Lincoln Barnes has been selected to play his first game since he sustained a serious eye injury in the round 10 loss to Hepburn.

Barnes will return to a team looking to break a run of three-straight defeats and one that will feature senior debutante Pat Hawkes.

Prediction: Waubra

Skipton v Hepburn

at Skipton, Saturday, 2.30pm

Last time: Hepburn 26.16 (172) d Skipton 8.6 (54), round 6, 2016

Skipton: The Emus' chances for success this season are few and far between and this clash with the red-hot Hepburn doesn't appear one of them.

Skipton coach Greg Middleton and his boys will be eyeing upcoming games against lowly rivals Rokewood-Corindhap and Carngham-Linton for a maiden win in 2017.

Hepburn: Burras coach Jason Olver admits he will rest some of his senior players for another clash against a bottom side in the run home to finals.

Key figures Kamen Ogilvie, Sean Salmon and Luke Stanton are among those to be left out, however, big mid-season pick-up Lee Cox is expected to play his first game with the club this year.

Prediction: Hepburn