Tantanoola v Hatherleigh
HATHERLEIGH players will be involved in another upset result for the second consecutive week if they do not approach their Round 17 match at Tantanoola on Saturday in the right frame of mind.
Anything less than a 100pc commitment will be seized upon by the Tigers and there is still ample talent in the red-and-white lineup to cause a surprising outcome in the penultimate round in the Mid South East Football League (MSEFL).
Home team key position players like Sam Haniford, Matt Pilmore and Brayden Reilly are likely to pose the most headaches.
The visitors will prevail if coach Jase Faulkner can harness the talents of his veterans and his younger players alike.
Skipper Gerard McGrath is back to his best form and the 30-year-old has well recovered from a broken hand.
On the other end of the age spectrum, the two teenage Bradley brothers have showed prowess around the goals.
Round 17 is not the time for the Eagles to mentally and physically relax after working so hard over all four quarters to defeat ladder leaders and reigning premiers Mount Burr.
The Mozzies had looked invincible in the run up to the finals but succumbed to a Hatherleigh side which applied relentless pressure from the first bounce until the final siren.
The Eagles can secure its major round berth with victories over the Tigers on Saturday and then at home to eighth-placed Kongorong in Round 18 on August 18.
The manner of Hatherleigh’s latest win strongly suggests that it is a definite premiership contender.
For much of 2018, the pundits have stated the MSEFL flag race would be a three-way contest between Robe, Mount Burr and Kalangadoo.
However, these three clubs have now been bothered by injury problems which have afflicted the six other clubs in the competition.
The Mozzies sorely miss champion teenage ruckman Henry Crauford, the Roosters have to manage their 16-player transfer points, while Kalangadoo has secured the service of ex-skippers James Pratt and Michael Durbidge.
Kalangadoo v Nangwarry
THERE will be one team treated to boiled lollies and the other treated to chocolates after the two closest clubs in the Mid South East Football League meet on Saturday.
Although weather and oval conditions will play a part, it is safe to assume that Nangwarry’s long losing streak will continue.
This will be the last time the Saints pull on the boots for 2018 as they have a bye in Round 18.
Club secretary Kevin Dinnison said Nangwarry will not have its best 18 against the Magpies.
As of the weekend, seven first-choice players had already signalled they were either injured or unavailable.
All were experienced and versatile key position players and so Kalangadoo are at unbackable odds to win.
If Hatherleigh’s defeat of Mount Burr in Round 16 could be classed as the upset of the 2018 season, then a Nangwarry win over Kalangadoo in Round 17 would just about be regarded as the upset of the millennium.
There is always a certain amount of player movement between clubs in the MSEFL, but the presence of three ex-Saints in the Magpie lineup is always a talking point.
Nathan Reeves did spend some of his underage time in a black-and-white jumper while Brett Linder is a past coach and Matt Fatchen is an ex-skipper.
There is simply too much at stake for the Magpies to aim for anything other than a win and a big one at that.
The team trained at Reidy Park Primary School in Mount Gambier on Tuesday night.
If the results and margins of Round 17 and Round 18 go the way of Chris Mules, they will win the minor premiership for the second consecutive season.
If not, it is likely they will remain in third place and meet Hatherleigh in the cut-throat first semi-final at Port MacDonnell.
Glencoe v Robe
GIVEN the coastal team defeated the inland side by 116 points when they met at Robe on May 26, it is unlikely the Roosters will have its colours lowered at Glencoe in Round 17.
Looking at every mathematical possibility, Glencoe could finish the minor round in sixth, fifth or fourth place, while Robe could claim the minor premiership or finish second or third.
Thus, these teams could be facing each other in the cut-throat first semi-final at Port MacDonnell on August 25.
This is unlikely and will depend on the results in the final two rounds and percentage.
It likely the Murphies will miss the finals, while the Roosters will qualify for the double-chance second semi-final on the first day of September.
If Robe loses this match, it is likely to play in elimination final.
If Glencoe loses, then it is mothballs time at the end of Round 18.
The home side has a couple of advantages and they are the forward firepower of Tory Weaver and Adam Gregory.
Weaver is spectacular, while Gregory is steady but both are effective goal scorers.
The Murphies might have finished much higher up the ladder this season if Weaver had not spent so much time on the sidelines.
Over in the Robe camp, the selectors are trying to settle on a team to take into the major round, which begins this month.
It used 14 of its maximum 16 player transfer points in Round 16 and it still has two key footballers with five transfer points between them waiting in the wings.
Tom Wachtel is a three point player and he lined up in the Reserves, while two-point player Jed Jarrett was rested due to injury.
Coach Jack Kelly was also rested in Round 16, while ex-skipper Jaryd Dawson needs to play in the next two rounds in order to qualify for the finals.
Kongorong v Port MacDonnell
THIS is one of the greatest rivalries in the MSEFL and it is not surprising that it is recognised in two long-standing trophies.
When the Hawks host the Demons, the Bruce Lightbody Memorial Shield is at stake.
It honours the memory of a distinguished Kongorong Football club president and league official and a memorial medal is given to the best-on-ground.
For most of the past decade, the seasiders have taken home the shield, while star Demon ruckman Will Macdonald has often claimed the medal.
Macdonald has been back playing at his home club of Casterton Sandford this season and so there will be a new winner of the Bruce Lightbody Memorial Medal.
The sentimental favourites for the individual honour would be the respective coaches of the competing teams.
Both Kongorong’s Bronson Saffin and Port MacDonnell’s Ben McGregor have announced they will stepp down from the coaching duties at season’s end.
For Saffin, there are just two more games to go, while McGregor is planning to have two more minor round games and then three more major round matches.
Port MacDonnell could still lose on Saturday and make the finals.
That is highly unlikely and its best chance to gain a finals’ berth is a big win at Kongorong.
Visiting ruckman Daron McElroy is in medal-winning form and the likes of Jake Turner and Ned Wilke should boot a winning score.
