IT has been a tough few days for Glencoe supporters due to a 100-point thrashing at Kalangadoo, but redemption is possible when Port MacDonnell visits on Saturday.
The Demons were lucky to escape with a tie in round 13 as the ball was on Robe’s half-forward line when the final siren sounded.
The seasiders relied on a small number of players against the Roosters and none was better than four-time Mail Medallist Will Macdonald.
Every time he got near the ball, Port MacDonnell looked so much better.
Macdonald would win every tap, take marks around the ground, gather possessions a kick behind play and also be handy in attack with two goals.
His dominance will be challenged by Matt Kasparian who has carried a heavy work load in the past month or so.
Not only has he led the rucks for the MSEFL interleague team, he has done likewise with the carnival-winning Murray South East zone team.
It was a canny piece of programming for the Glencoe hierarchy to stage the club’s annual premiership reunion day for this coming match.
It will guarantee a bumper crowd of past stars of the Murphies dating back to the 1957 season.
The old-timers will be celebrating past glories, but the 2017 team will succumb to the visitors.
Kalangadoo sets benchmark
KALANGADOO has some clear air at the head of the premiership table and will still be in top spot in the unlikely event of it returning home from Nangwarry without the premiership points.
The Magpies would have derived great satisfaction from putting Glencoe to the sword on Saturday and the massive 100-point margin was a bonus.
According to some in the black-and-white camp, the mid-season slump was due to injuries.
With most of the senior list back on the park, the wins are coming again.
There is an obvious temptation for Ben Mules to rest some of his leg weary players in Round 14 as the grounds become heavier as we approach the depths of winter.
The other selection query will see how many ex-Nangwarry players play on Saturday.
Nathan Reeves, Matt Fatchen and Brett Lindner come into this category.
When writing about the Saints, it should not be overlooked that it has the longest injury list in the competition.
Furthermore, some of the season-ending injuries to players like skipper Aiden Mills occurred very early in 2017.
The home team will be fresh from a three week lay-off and the home ground advantage is worth a few goals.
However, there will be no fairytale ending of the bottom team defeating the top team.
Up against the odds
CAN Tantanoola again overcome the odds and achieve another upset victory with Hatherleigh being its third consecutive victim?
The Tigers had been unwanted by the pundits in their past two outings against Kongorong and Port MacDonnell and they answered their critics in the best possible way.
Most onlookers and club insiders have not had high expectations of the red-and-whites given they lost 20 players from their 2016 senior list.
The club is in a rebuilding phase under rookie A Grade coach Josh Peters and some heavy defeats will inevitably be in the mix along with some surprising wins.
Over in the Hatherleigh camp, a harsh reality check has just been delivered by competition heavyweights Mount Burr.
To misquote the words of a 1980s hit song, the Burr Boys are back in town and have regained that hunger for another hat-trick of flags.
There is a school of thought that goes a team should not enter the major round with a long winning streak and Mount Burr actually did Hatherleigh players a favour by beating them.
The result ended a nine-game winning streak and, in any case, the loss was by a modest margin of just over a goal.
Hatherleigh is already looking ahead to 2018 with coach Jase Faulkner, ruckman Sam Waring and forward Brad Wight signing on.
The visitors would not want to consider resting any players because the home side has a lot of self-belief and this can win games.
However, Hatherleigh will put on a good show for popular vice-captain and vice-president Josh Wight who plays his 150th game for the club.
Hawks eye confidence boost over Roosters
THE wheels and just about everything else has fallen off the Kongorong wagon and so its players will be approaching Saturday’s Round 14 clash at Robe with a big dose of trepidation.
Confidence is everything in sport and it has deserted the Hawks over the past two months.
On the other hand, the Roosters are playing a good brand of footy but it only occurs in patches.
New coach Jack Kelly has instructed his players to play on and move the ball on quickly as much as possible.
Such a style is suitable to the large and well-grassed Robe Oval.
On the other hand, this style must be practised frequently and that can’t be done while there are small numbers of senior players on the training track.
This is a dilemma which has bedevilled every Robe A and B Grade coach for over a decade.
Kelly deserves to be reappointed as Robe coach for 2018 while Bronson Saffin should have another season at the helm of Kongorong.
Although the visitors have a stronger list, I think Robe will achieve an upset win.
It was unlucky to lose at the Bay in Round 13.
If it gets a 50/50 share of good fortune, it will win.
