Crunch time for Mozzies’ finals hopes in round 11

Sam Wallis June 22  TBW Newsgroup
BIG TASK: Mount Burr's Sam Wallis will mind a key Glencoe forward. Picture: J.L. ("FRED") SMITH

Sam Wallis June 22 TBW Newsgroup
BIG TASK: Mount Burr’s Sam Wallis will mind a key Glencoe forward. Picture: J.L. (“FRED”) SMITH

Glencoe v Mount Burr

THE Mozzies should rebound from a rare home ground loss to reigning premiers Robe and deny the Murphies the premiership points on Saturday in round 11 of the Mid South East Football League.

It is quite a while since Mount Burr has twice lost to Glencoe in the one calendar year.

The cause of the green-and-golds will be helped if they return to the familiar defence structure which has served them so well over the past decade.

With players of the calibre of Peter Guyett, brothers Josh and Sam Wallis and their cousin James Wallis, Mount Burr has the capacity to thwart the Glencoe attack.

Guyett was surprisingly used in the forward line against the Roosters and led his team’s goalkickers with three.

It is widely tipped that he will be given a tagging role on either Brodie Foster, Alex Hentschke or Tory Weaver.

Foster was one of the dominant players with four goals when Glencoe reclaimed the prestigious Ian McInnes Memorial Shield with a 56-point win at “Mick” and Jean Walker Oval on April 13.

He needs to average six goals per game in order to reach the rare 100 mark in 2019.

Another player capable of posing headaches for the Mozzies is Tom Edwards who was in scintillating form against Nangwarry on Saturday and he was awarded the Phil Muhovics Memorial Medal.

Mount Burr has had a charmed run with injury for several seasons as shown by coach Tom Renzi who played 103 consecutive matches.

An ankle injury kept him on the sidelines for the Robe game and his on-field presence could be the key to victory.

Glencoe coach Zacc Cocks has also missed some games this month with a knee injury and he is also an inspirational leader.

With the incentive of a top four ranking on offer, Mount Burr will win.

Robe v Kalangadoo

IT was a case of being “sleepy heads” when Kalangadoo hosted Robe on April 13.

The Magpies conceded the first five goals of the contest to the Roosters and they were never really going to make inroads on this deficit.

Kalangadoo can not afford another slow start at the seaside on Saturday as another loss could again lead it to drop down to fifth place.

The stocks of the reigning premiers are currently sky-high as they have just achieved the rarest of wins at Mount Burr.

To borrow the words of a political leader, “How good is the Robe forward line?”.

Even without the services of injured assistant coach Kane Cuthbertson, the Roosters were able to score as many as nine goals in a single term against the powerhouse Mozzie defence.

Having Tom Wachtel lead the first ruck frees Zac Deane to do good work in attack alongside recruit Todd Lockwood.

The Roosters have heavily recruited from Adelaide and other South East clubs in recent seasons and the June 30 clearance deadline is only a few days away.

There is invariably speculation about the recruiting intentions of Robe and the eight other MSEFL clubs as this date on the calendar approaches.

Kongorong v Nangwarry

IT is payback time for the Saints when they make their yearly visit to the nest of the Hawks.

Not only do Nangwarry players want to avenge their 129-point loss in the second round, the whole club should be thankful for the support of the Kongorong Football Club.

On that sunny April day, Kongorong supporters turned up in droves for Nangwarry’s first home game of 2019.

It was also the first game for Nangwarry since a probable arson attack destroyed the licensed clubrooms in January.

The black-and-golds did not come empty-handed as they were armed with a $2500 cheque to supporting the rebuilding efforts of Nangwarry.

Kongorong’s actions have set the pattern for every other club which has visited Nangwarry so far in 2019.

Gate, bar, barbecue and canteen takings have been strong at every home game at Nangwarry this season as the members of the so-called “Family League” have rallied around the Saints.

As the second half of the minor round gets underway, it is appropriate for Nangwarry supporters to hit the road and repay the kind favours they have received.

The A Grade football game is expected to be one-sided owing to the recent form of the opposing teams.

Kongorong kept the pressure for the first three terms on ladder leader Hatherleigh on their home deck on Saturday.

The Eagles may have been wayward in front of goal but the Hawks were a mere six points in arrears at the final change.

Over at Nangwarry, the home side sorely missed players of the class of Tyson Ploenges and Ricky Linder and was heavily defeated,

Port MacDonnell v Hatherleigh

THE Demons began their 2019 season with a 54-point loss at the nest of the Eagles but the return match will be much closer.

If Port MacDonnell can defeat the ladder leaders, then the premiership race will widen to six teams.

If Hatherleigh can take the premiership points, it will just about be time for the seasiders to place the order for mothballs for their guerseys.

The worst-case scenario for the Demons at 5pm on Saturday would be for them to be four wins and percentage behind the fourth-placed team with only seven games to play.

On the other hand, the best possible outcome of the round 11 fixtures would have Port MacDonnell just two wins in arrears and a finals berth still very much a possibility.

At the end of round 11, Hatherleigh can enjoy a three-week break from the playing arena and allow their players to recover from niggling and long-term injuries.

This is due to the scheduled bye in round 12 and then the competition-wide break for the South Australian Country Championships on July 13-14.

The Eagles have fielded 36 different players this season including one-gamers Joe Ferguson-Lane and Lachy Button and now is the time for the team to settle on the lineup it will take into the major round.