Learmonth v Beaufort
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
at Learmonth, Saturday, 2.30pm
Last time: Beaufort 15.18 (108) d Learmonth 1.9 (15), round 17, 2016
Learmonth’s hopes of reaching finals have taken a major hit with news its best player has possibly played his last game of the home and away season.
Brenton Powell is set to miss this weekend’s clash with Beaufort and is doubtful for the round 17 encounter with Hepburn because of a leg injury.
Powell played just a few minutes of last Saturday’s battle with Dunnstown before leaving the field.
Learmonth president Matt Hines said Powell hurt his leg in the round 14 clash with Ballan and didn’t expect him to pull on the boots again in 2017 unless the team made finals.
Despite losing to the Towners last week, the Lakies remain eighth on the Central Highlands Football League ladder.
But the Learmonth boys will need plenty of luck to hold their spot with two tough games against premiership fancies.
The second-placed Crows head into this encounter following a bye and get back key players Jake Garvey and Jack Duke.
Garvey, an important tall utility, is set to play his first senior game of the year after recovering from a serious wrist injury.
He featured in the reserves last weekend.
Beaufort coach Rohan Brown said Duke had work commitments for the round 14 thrashing of Clunes, but will return to the side on Saturday.
Prediction: Beaufort
Gordon v Springbank
at Gordon, Saturday, 2.30pm
Last time: Springbank 16.14 (110) d Gordon 9.11 (65), preliminary final, 2016
Gordon coach Gary Learmonth is chasing a big scalp and would dearly love it to be rivals Springbank this weekend.
After dropping games against established top four teams Beaufort and Hepburn and the talented Waubra early in the year, Learmonth and his boys are in a promising patch of form which has seen them record wins in their last nine outings.
This has the Eagles fifth on the Central Highlands Football League ladder, just percentage behind fourth-placed Buninyong, which they meet in round 17.
“If we are any chance of making inroads deep into finals, we need to be able to beat sides like Springbank,” Learmonth said.
In-form goal-kicker Ash Munari hurt his knee in last weekend’s victory over Bungaree, and while he is likely to miss this Saturday, it doesn’t appear his entire season is in jeopardy.
Backmen Gerard Clifford (hamstring) and Tyson Burns (unavailable) are among Gordon’s other key players that will miss this game.
Meanwhile, Springbank sits top of the table after beating Skipton last weekend.
Tigers coach Michael Searl said forwards Billy Driscoll and Mitch Couch would return to the team for this encounter, but didn’t expect defender Marty Anderson to feature due to a foot issue.
Prediction: Springbank
Carngham-Linton v Rokewood-Corindhap
at Snake Valley, Saturday, 2.30pm
Last time: Rokewood-Corindhap 18.15 (123) d Carngham-Linton 11.4 (70), round 3, 2016
Nick O’Brien will be at Snake Valley on Saturday, but won’t take the field for Carngham-Linton in its clash with former Lexton Plains rivals Rokewood-Corindhap.
The Essendon VFL captain had been expected to play for the Saints in this fixture, but with a troublesome hamstring and finals just around the corner for the Bombers, he will sit out the Central Highlands Football League contest.
O’Brien played for Carngham-Linton alongside former Essendon player Jason Winderlich back in June, a day Bombers great Dustin Fletcher helped coach the team from the sidelines.
The clash against the Grasshoppers looks a winnable one for the Saints, which were beaten by Waubra last weekend.
Coach Matt Beaston said onballer/forward Rory Nunn would be the key inclusion for the hosts this weekend after recovering from an ankle injury.
Carngham-Linton will use the round 16 encounter for a string of premiership reunions, while footballers in the senior side will wear commemorative jumpers that feature the names of 1977, 1987, 1997 and 2007 premiership players.
Rokewood-Corindhap was beaten by Creswick last weekend and will tackle this match with a relatively similar team.
The Grasshoppers then finish the year with a home clash against Clunes.
Prediction: Rokewood-Corindhap
Bungaree v Buninyong
at Bungaree, Saturday, 2.30pm
Last time: Buninyong 3.10 (28) d Bungaree 2.8 (20), round 15, 2016
Bungaree: The injuries continue to roll in for the Demons, which will be without the likes of Oli Hayes, Grant Trevenen and Joel Mirtschin this weekend.
All three hurt themselves in last Saturday's loss to Gordon, as did coach Heath Pyke, who is in doubt for this game with a back issue.
Buninyong: Coach Jarrod Morgan is battling a badly corked thigh and is no certainty to play in the weekend's clash with the Demons.
Morgan is also anticipating the birth of his third child, which depending on timing, could also see him miss the game this Saturday.
Prediction: Buninyong
Clunes v Waubra
at Clunes, Saturday, 2.30pm
Last time: Waubra 30.11 (191) d Clunes 0.2 (2), round 11, 2016
Clunes: Season 2017 has been a real battle for the Magpies, which were handed a heavy defeat at the hands of Hepburn last weekend.
And it was a struggle to put some teams on the park on Saturday, with the club only just scrapping together enough numbers for the reserves and under-18 games.
Waubra: The stars are back for the Roos, with top goal-kicker Tim Boyle and gun midfielder Lincoln Barnes returning to the team that beat Carngham-Linton last weekend.
After stepping up in the absence of Boyle and kicking four goals last weekend, forward Jackson Kinna is set to miss through illness.
Prediction: Waubra
Creswick v Skipton
at Creswick, Saturday, 2.30pm
Last time: Creswick 13.9 (87) d Skipton 6.12 (48), round 7, 2016
Creswick: It will again be an emotional day for Creswick supporters on Saturday, with the Wickers using the fixture against Skipton to farewell club great Darren Lubeek.
Lubeek, a premiership player with the club in 1987, died suddenly last week and will be remembered with a minute silence before the start of the senior game at Doug Lindsay Reserve.
Skipton: The Emus will find this tough, but coach Greg Middleton gets back a handful of his key senior players this weekend.
Onballers Adam Romey and Sam Lehmann and forward Jarred Crabtree are among the additions to the side that lost to Springbank last outing.
Prediction: Creswick
Daylesford v Ballan
at Daylesford, Saturday, 2.30pm
Last time: Daylesford 16.7 (103) d Ballan 12.13 (85), round 6, 2016
Daylesford: The Bulldogs have come up short in their last four games against top sides, but still remain well and truly in the finals picture.
And defender Toby Hughes and onballer/forward Ricky Costanzo are back for this important game against Ballan on the weekend.
Ballan: The Blues could still make finals, but need something close to a miracle to reach eighth spot on the ladder by the end of the home and away campaign.
Among the changes this week is key forward Brad Barnes, who is out due to an ankle problem, while ruckman Dan Christie returns after missing last weekend's win over Newlyn.
Prediction: Daylesford
Newlyn v Dunnstown
at Newlyn, Saturday, 2.30pm
Last time: Dunnstown 15.10 (100) d Newlyn 10.7 (67), round 2, 2016
Newlyn: Cats defender Daniel Hammond missed last weekend's loss to Ballan due to the concussion he received after being hit by Buninyong's Lachlan Baker in round 14.
He is set to return this weekend, but will be playing in a side missing forward Declan Lourey because of an ankle issue.
Dunnstown: The Towners continue their surge towards the finals, with last weekend's sixth-straight success leaving them just four points and percentage behind the eighth-placed Learmonth.
But coach Justin Abrams still feels the side's percentage is an issue and wants Ballan to beat Daylesford this weekend to aid its cause.
Prediction: Dunnstown