BFNL ROUND 5 PREVIEW | Blockbuster test for Sunbury and North, must win for Burra and Cobras

The Lions have hit the ground running in season 2024 with wins over Redan, Melton South and Bacchus Marsh. In all facets, they have been impressive with their ball movement, but they'll need to show some new tricks against the powerful contested beast that is North Ballarat.

Sunbury coach Matt White said his side would have to be at its best to match it with the Roosters.

"They are a very contested team, love a stoppage, clearly they shut down the Darley mids a couple of weeks ago in a really slippery game," he said. "I think it's going to be a really good battle, our mids are up and about, so I think it's going to be a similar focus to last week, we've got to be them on the inside first.

"They wins they've had have been off what they've done in stoppage, so for us, the main thing is we can't let them dictate to us, that'll have to be the focus."

White slightly bristled when it was pointed out that his side had beaten sides it 'should' have.

"For us, it's not about 'should have', it's about going out to win every game," he said. "To go up against North Ballarat, it's going to be a real test for us, and you're right, it'll be a real test to see where we stand coming up against one of the premier teams in the competition.

"The challenge of the whole day will be interesting, the home deck suits us better, but who knows what's going to happen until we get out there."

For the Roosters it is the third time in four weeks they have come up against a major challenger

North Ballarat coach Brendan McCartney said another huge test would await his teams.

"I've watched them a bit and what I notice is just how well they are organised in the middle of the ground," he said.

"They move between attack and defence very quickly, they are a well-coached group.

"Their system looks pretty good, they set-up well to create turnovers and when they do, they capitalise very well.

"I also think they are playing a slightly different style as well, I don't think they are short kicking as much as they previous were. To me, they look a completely different unit to what we've seen previously."

Meanwhile, at the other end of the table, Sebastopol and Bacchus Marsh are set to square off in a must-win encounter. For the winner it's a 2-3 record and back into the season, for the loser, it's 1-4 and a long climb back to be able to push towards finals.

The Burra has been decimated this week with confirmation Lachlan Cassidy, currently second in The Courier player of the year, could miss up to 10 weeks with a torn calf while defender Riley O'Keefe is in a brace for an injured wrist, but looks to have avoided a broken arm as first feared.

Playing coach Tony Lockyer said injuries couldn't be controlled, but what could be controlled was how his team went at the weekend.

"You never like to see boys going down, but they'll be OK in the long run," he said. "Toby Hutt will come in for this game and the others are to be confirmed still, we've had a discussion Tuesday night, we're still deciding which ones.

"We can keep talking about progress and how we're going but at the end of the day, footy is about winning games if you want to be there at the business end.

"The progress has been good and I feel like we're just one good win away from getting back on track and getting the confidence back.

"For them, they've seen improvement over the past couple of weeks, hopefully that leads to the win this week."

Bacchus Marsh coach Dennis Armfield said the match was important for his side.

"It's a big game, it's a big opportunity for both clubs," he said. "I respect them highly and what they are doing, but we have to focus on ourselves and do it our way for longer.

"Take nothing away from Sunbury last week, they were a little of class above us last week. I feel that at times we have been our own worst enemy at times, but I reckon it's a crease we can iron out pretty quickly."

Bacchus Marsh will be without youngster Cody Salmon who has a wrist sprain however Josh Huxtable is expected to return, although Riley Huxtable will miss due to unavailability.

Melton is expected to be boosted by a host of players as it takes on Ballarat at Macpherson Park.

Having had the bye last weekend, the Bloods could bring back up to a dozen players across its three teams, however, it will be hard to displace many from the senior line-up given the impressive start to the season

"Even though it's early in the season, it is always nice to be able to get that release," coach Troy Scoble said.

"We had a large injury and unavailable list heading into round three, I think it was 17 across the open age of the club, we expect to get at least half of those back. What that means though for our senior team, we're not that sure yet.

"There's a couple of tests that we'll do to determine whether we need to change the side, but we didn't get any injuries out of our last game, so really anyone who comes back will have to find a spot in the side.

"Round three was a real challenge for the club in the senior and reserves, we had some illnesses, we'll get those back, but I'd expect nine to 12 will be back.

Ballarat coach Chris Maple said he saw Melton as the benchmark this season with his team needing to be at the top of its game to be able to compete.

"The results would indicate that," he said. "We're going in more worried about us than them. We've got to fix up a few things out of the Darley game, our centre bounce work and our contested work needs to pick up dramatically, we'll focus on those two things.

"Plus we weren't too happy with our ball movement, we got scored on turnover which highlights a few different things to us, not just the ball movement. There's a lot of layers to it, if you don't use the ball well, the opposition can take advantage of you on the exit which happened too often last week."

Lake Wendouree will look to continue its build, but will face an almighty test against an in-form East Point which has strolled to big wins in the past two weeks.

The Lakers have shown competitive signs throughout the first month, but has not quite had the poise to go with their best teams for the full four quarters.

Coach Rohan Brown said he saw some good signs last weekend, despite a heavy defeat to North Ballarat.

"I think East Point will probably try and spread us," he said. "For us, we need to be fundamentally correct, we've used that word a lot, we've got to be clean in everything we do to keep us in the game.

"I think our willingness and effort to win a game of footy is exactly where it needs to be, it's just about tidying up the opportunities.

"East Point I see as one of the main challengers this year, we'll go in with a full intent to win every game. If we can get then process right and not get scored heavily against in patches, we''' be alright.

East Point has quickly forgotten its opening round and has pushed forward with two impressive wins. Again they look poised for another big performance and it would be a brave person to tip against them this week.

@ Marty Busch Reserve

LADDER: Sebastopol 9th (1-3), Bacchus Marsh 8th (1-3)

LAST TIME THEY MET: Round 1, 2023 Sebastopol 19-24 (138) d Bacchus Marsh 2.5 (17)

KEY TO THE GAME: Two desperate teams who have shown signs so far should make for an absorbing contest at Sebastopol. Both teams go in at 1-3, Their trajectories seem to be similar having both struggled against good opposition, but showing enough against teams nearby. It's the injuries, Lachlan Cassidy, Riley O'Keefe and Jack Bambury at Sebastopol that is the concern here. Bacchus Marsh ran Darley to two goals just a fortnight here and they look slightly better positioned in what should be a close contest.

PREDICTION: Bacchus Marsh

@ Macpherson Park

LADDER: Melton 1st (3-0), Ballarat 4th (3-1)

LAST TIME THEY MET: Round 10, 2023 Melton 22.15 (147) d Ballarat 3.8 (26)

KEY TO THE GAME: The well-rested Melton up against a Ballarat side which copped a reality check last weekend against Darley. The Bloods have look a step ahead of the opposition this year so far with only North Ballarat giving them any cause for concern. Ballarat are no-doubt better than hat they showed against Darley, but will need to be at their absolute best to have any chance of upsetting the Bloods away from home. Melton seems the top seed early, and nothing here suggests that will change yet.

PREDICTION: Melton

@ Darley Park

LADDER: Darley 3rd (3-1), Redan 7th (2-2)

LAST TIME THEY MET: Round 10, 2023 Redan 15.7 (97) d Darley 11.13 (79)

KEY TO THE GAME: If there's going to be turn up this weekend it might just be this game given the Lions got the job done at Darley Park last season. But on form, the Devils have to start this game as favourite. Redan will be bolstered by the re-signing of its coach Gary Learmonth to a new two-year deal, it will give the club stability as it goes about its build. There's a lot to like about Redan, but the concern is the Darley midfield dominance. Sebas failed to make Redan pay last week, expect Darley to be a lot cleaner where it counts.

PREDICTION: Darley

@ CE Brown Reserve

LADDER: Lake Wendouree 10th (0-4), East Point 5th (2-1)

LAST TIME THEY MET: Round 17, 2023 East Point 22.13 (145) d Lake Wendouree 3.5 (23)

KEY TO THE GAME: Where exactly does East Point stand? We probably won't get a fair reflection until after this week. A poor loss to Darley and big wins over Sebastopol, when they were struggling, and Melton South, don't exactly stand-out for the Kangaroos. This weekend looms as another chance for a percentage booster against a side that has shown some signs, but still seems a fair way off the best sides. Expect the Lakers to be competitive for a half, but East Point should win well.

PREDICTION: East Point

@ Clarke Oval

LADDER: Sunbury 3rd (3-0), North Ballarat 6th (2-1)

LAST TIME THEY MET: Roujnd 16, 2023 North Ballarat 10.13 (73) d Sunbury 8.13 (61)

KEY TO THE GAME: Without question, the match-of-the-round between the big improver in Sunbury and the ever-consistent North Ballarat. This game will be won at the contest and should provide a terrific guide as to where both teams sit in the overall scheme of the season. North Ballarat doesn't blow the opposition away, but invariably they are in front when the siren rings. Sunbury look poised for a return to the finals. Whether it is a genuine top three contender remains the question. North just, but a Sunbury win wouldn't surprise at all.

PREDICTION: North Ballarat