LAKE WENDOUREE V BACCHUS MARSH
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Qualifying final
at Eastern Oval on Saturday
FACT FILE
Lakers (1st): 14 wins, 2 losses
Cobras (2nd): 13 wins, 2 losses, 1 draw
2017 meetings:
Round 8: Bacchus Marsh 14.20 (104) d Lake Wendouree 11.6 (72)
Round 13: Bacchus Marsh 7.21 (63) d Lake Wendouree 7.10 (52)
COACH Travis Hodgson says Bacchus Marsh will need to be back on its game in Saturday’s Ballarat Football League qualifying final to stay on track for back-to-back flags.
Anything less and Hodgson has no doubt the Cobras will be in danger of lowering their colours to minor premier Lake Wendouree at the Eastern Oval.
He said Bacchus Marsh was five to 10 percent down off its game in its loss to Redan in the last home and away round.
“We’ll need to be at our best. We’ll need more heat at the contest.”
Hodgson said defensive pressure across the board was a key to the Cobras’ game.
“If we don’t apply enough pressure we’ll lose.”
A midfield led by Nick Peters, Steve Clifton, Ben Taylor, Jayden Hooper, Jordan Alexander and Luke Bucknall, and complemented by Nathan Monk, Tom Nijam, Tim Malone and Nathan Pring is the key for Lake Wendouree.
Hodgson said this was why defence on team-wide basis was more important than individual match-ups aimed at spearhead Lucas Anderson and Pring.
Lakers coach Tim Malone says he finds it difficult to separate the two teams.
He said Lake Wendouree had achieved its first major objective with a top-two finish. It had now needs to capitalise on that. “A loss and you’re back in the pack again with all that hard work (for the double chance) lost.”
Malone has no doubt Lakers’ best is good enough to get a first win over Bacchus Marsh for the year, but also conscious they cannot afford any lapses against a combination boasting top shelf ruckman Dean Heta and goalkicking powerhouse Jarrah Maksymow.
Maksymow has experienced major highs and lows this season, but everything points to another big finals series from him.
Malone said as a offensively-minded coach there was no shortage of confidence in this side of Lake Wendouree’s game, but warned that its defence led by the likes of Ben Hayes, Isaac and Gus Kirby, and Liam Findlay was also as solid as any in the competition.
There were no surprises for either team at the selection table. Lakers regain Jayden Hooper and Arthur Armstrong (shoulder), while the Cobras named Matt Denham, Declan Phyland and Jake Bolton after losing key defender Trent Angwin (hamstring).
PREDICTION: Cobras
DARLEY V NORTH BALLARAT CITY
Elimination final
at Darley Park on Saturday
FACT FILE
Devils (3rd): 12 wins, 4 losses
City (6th): 6 wins, 10 losses
2017 meetings:
Round 11: North Ballarat City 11.13 (79) d Darley 8.11 (59)
DARLEY fell into the Ballarat Football League finals last year.
The Devils had a terrible campaign coming off their first BFL premiership.
When former Carlton and Collingwood player Heath Scotland arrived back where he launched his football career as a youngster he was determined to get Darley back to the top.
He said the Devils were not prepared to again simply make up numbers when it came to finals. They recruited hard with top-end players such as Brian and Chris Graham, Dan Roy, Kyle Docherty and Jay Pearson and despite a few ups and downs third place speaks for itself.
Scotland is satisfied with the season so far. “We’ve made inroads.”
Darley now needs to go on with the job, starting against North Ballarat City in an elimination final at Darley Park on Saturday.
Ironically, North is in a similar position to where Darley found itself a year ago – just getting over the line to fill sixth position on percentage.
While City coach Jordyn Burke admits it needed a few things to fall its way and its win-loss ratio was not great, he believes North can make a mark now that it is there.
He does not take kindly to any suggestion that as the sixth-placed team North Ballarat is making up numbers.
“There’s no pressure on us, no expectations...that’s what makes us dangerous.
“We’ve just to play our game – the game which has got us here.”
Burke said one of the big changes over the latter stages of the season had been continuity in selection after a run of injury issues.
He ruled out any suggestion of a let down after working so hard to get into the top six.
Burke believes if anything that occurred in the round 17 loss to East Point – a defeat which almost cost them reaching the finals.
He said they were ready for whatever Darley had in store, and had no fears about playing at Darley’s home crowd.
“It’s going to be a hostile environment with the crowd, but we are prepared.”
North Ballarat defeated Darley at the venue mid-season.
Scotland is not concerned about that, with match-winners Leigh Spiteri and Brian Graham not playing, Shane Page and Brad Inglis being injured, and Pearson spending time off the ground after being yellow carded.
North Ballarat continues to maintain stability.
VFL-listed Ben Simpson’s inclusion is the only change to the team which defeated Melton to secure sixth position.
Darley has named an unchanged team, which means ruckman Abe Cameron retains his place after dislocating a shoulder against Melton South.
It means Shane Page (calf) is still not fit enough to play.
PREDICTION: Darley
REDAN V SUNBURY
Elimination final
at Eastern Oval on Sunday
FACT FILE
Redan (4th): 12 wins. 4 losses
Sunbury (5th): 9 wins, 7 losses
2017 meetings:
Round 7: Sunbury 13.5 (83) d Redan 7.12 (54)
Round 12: Redan 11.12 (78) d Sunbury 5.14 (44)
Redan goes into a Ballarat Football League elimination final against Sunbury at the Eastern Oval on Sunday at the top of its game.
A win over reigning premier Bacchus Marsh was just the impetus Redan needed.
While coach Brendan Peace would have preferred to finish better than fourth, he has the Western Lions close to full strength and primed to make their presence felt.
Redan ended up looking a tired outfit in last year's finals. Fitness was a focus for Peace from the day he rejoined the club and right now the benefits of this approach are there for all to see.
In many respects Sunbury has already proved to be a surprise packet this season.
The outlook always looked challenging with the loss of the core of its grand final team from last year and the late appointment of Ben Jordan as coach, the timing of which limited recruiting opportunities.
The Eastern Lions always kept the faith though, believing they could stretch their unbroken sequence of finals appearances to 21.
After a tough start, it soon became apparent finals would be on the cards.
Jordan acknowledged there was an element of the unknown going into the season, particularly because of the loss of key talls, but he could not have been happier with the progression his list had made.
He said the key to again playing finals had been the way players who had previously been on the fringe had grabbed the opportunities to go their way and taken on greater responsibilities.
Jordan said the likes Trent Stead, Jesse Flannery, Patrick MacDonough, Nathan Bridgland and recruit Alec Goodson were among this group - complementing the leadership roles already carried by Andrew Duhau, David Kovacevic, Alik Magin, Greg Hay and Grant Valles.
Throw in the emergence of Luke Healy, Mick Edwards, Dillon Mundy and Jack Hannett, and return of Josh Guthrie from Geelong VFL program, and Jordan believes it is well placed.
Crucially, Jordan is confident his charges can match arguably Redan’s biggest strength – its presence at the contest – and has the defensive options to suppress the influence of mercurial small forward Mitch Phelps, Orren Stephenson as a tall target and ever dangerous Nathan Horbury.
Redan is bolstered by five major inclusions, including skipper Liam Hoy, pivotal onballer Dean Matthews, reliable defender Jacob Short and VFL-listed youngsters Keenan Waterbury and Nick Hausler, who adds much to its big man stocks.
Sunbury has three important inclusions – captain Andrew Duhau, leading goalkicker Ben Said and James Rizk – after injury.
PREDICTION: Redan