By RUSSELL BENNETT
ELLINBANK AND DISTRICT FOOTBALL LEAGUE
PREVIEW – ROUND 3
TOP-FOUR aspirants Nar Nar Goon are staring down the barrel of a horror 0-3 start to their season if they can’t find a way past Garfield in a Beswick Street blockbuster this Sunday.
We’ll stop short of saying it’s an unthinkable scenario for Tom Hallinan’s men because, quite frankly, the opening three games of their fixture were always going to be brutal – the reigning premiers first up, followed by big improvers Bunyip, followed by a Garfield side many have pencilled in for a grand-final appearance this season.
But on the verge of Round 3, it’s far too early to get an accurate gauge of how these teams are really tracking. A win for the Goon this weekend could spark the side into life and vault it back to the upper reaches of the competition in no time.
They’ll be up against a Garfield side with a point to prove after Ryan Hendy’s men had their colours lowered against Longwarry on the weekend, but this is as close to a must-win game as a third round game gets – particularly given that they come up against Kooweerup in Round 4. Nar Nar Goon to win by a goal in an absolute nail-biter.
Cora Lynn’s showdown with Bunyip is the other legitimate blockbuster of the round this week, with Brad Walker’s Bulldogs getting the early-season chance to test themselves against the league’s benchmark on Anzac Day. Both sides are honoured to take the field on one of the most important days on the Australian calendar, and neither will be over-awed by the opportunity to showcase their skills in front of what promises to be a capacity crowd. The Cobras were patchy at stages on Saturday, with skill errors letting them down at stages early. They’ll come out breathing fire from the outset against Bunyip, but the Dogs won’t take a backward step and could well match them for physicality. At this stage though, the Cobras have too much firepower and should win by 15 points.
The Demons will take on the Tigers in the other Anzac fixture on the cards this Saturday night, and another bumper crowd is expected between the two local rivals. There’s still so much of the unknown about the Tigers, and it’s clear they’re yet to fully find their feet as a group after their loss to Catani on Saturday.
The Demons, on the other hand, showed on the weekend that they are a better side than they were last season – they have more strings to their bow up forward, and more help, too, for the likes of Luke Walker and Tim Miller through the guts. They’re still yet to put a full four-quarter performance together though, and ominously for the Tigers that could come this week. The Demons to win by at least five goals.
Buln Buln premiership coach Paul Alger will make his return to the Lyrebirds’ nest this week at the helm of a Blues’ side fresh off a Round-2 victory. Alger, known for his nous in the coach’s box, knows the Buln Buln side back-to-front and it will be fascinating to see his strategy come in to play on Sunday. But Brent Eastwell’s side has too many weapons to let this one slip and should record a comfortable win.
In the remaining three clashes of the round, Neerim Neerim South will be far too strong for Ellinbank, Longwarry should just fall over the line against a Nilma Darnum side that was disappointing on the weekend, and Poowong should have too much for a struggling Nyora.
