HATHERLEIGH v KALANGADOO
THE Eagles and the Magpies meet in the match-of-the-day in the Mid South East Football League on Saturday as jockeying continues for the top four placings.
Home team Hatherleigh is leading the ladder and just achieved a sweet 101-point victory over arch cross-town rival Mount Burr.
Mathematicians will say fourth-placed Kalangadoo can still miss the finals, but that would be reliant on an extraordinary turn of events in the last month of the minor round including a home ground loss to Nangwarry on August 10.
After a miserable month of June which saw his team drop to fifth, the fortunes have turned for Magpies coach Chris Mules.
Any team would welcome the addition of a Mail Medallist to their ranks in the fourth month of the season and the black-and whites had no less than three.
Jack Casey has returned after a stint in the Great Southern Football League, while Brett Lindner and Ben Mules have recovered from injuries.
This trio are in good form and playing key positions.
However, it looks as though Pioneers basketballer Braeden Ousey has run out of time to qualify for finals.
The playing stocks in the Eagles’ nest are also improving with the likes of Josh Wight and Caolan Buckley looking for A Grade action.
Hatherleigh will definitely win, but there will be no repeat of the 107-point drubbing it handed to the home side at Kalangadoo on May 18.
PORT MACDONNELL v TANTANOOLA
IT has not been the best of times to be a Tigers supporter as the club suffered a double blow in
the recent round of Mid South East football, last Saturday.
Not only did Tantanoola lose the game to Kongorong by a mere six points, other results have 99pc ensured Tigerland will not host the MSEFL grand final on September 21.
The big dance will almost certainly be set down for “Mick” and Jean Walker Oval at Mount Burr.
Tantanoola is next-in-line for the season decider, but backers of the red-and-whites hope it will not be in 2020 as they plan to be playing in it.
Looking to Saturday, the young and undermanned Tantanoola team heads to Port MacDonnell which has also had a patchy season so far in the 2019 Mid South East football competition.
Like Kongorong, it has the potential to finish as high as fifth if the results of rounds 15-18 go its way.
Mind you, if Port MacDonnell only boots one goal in the opening half as it did against Kalangadoo in round 14, Tantanoola might win its second game of the season.
However, the Demons have several quality players in their side and will certainly enter the clash on Saturday as clear favourites.
KONGORONG v ROBE
THE Hawks could upset the major round plans of the Roosters if they win the battle of the birds at home.
The reigning premiers slumped to third after losing at home to Glencoe by a mere six points, while Kongorong won by this margin at Tantanoola.
Robe has the incentive of regaining a double chance finals berth by the end of the minor round on August 24, whereas Kongorong could finish as high as fifth by the completion of round 18.
To move up from seventh, Kongorong has to achieve three big wins and rely on Mount Burr and Port MacDonnell maintaining their form slumps.
To complete 2019, Kongorong faces Glencoe (away) and Port MacDonnell (home) as well as a bye on August 17.
That final game of the season against the Demons could be regarded as a blockbuster as the prestigious Bruce Lightbody Shield is up for grabs.
It has been many seasons since this trophy has left the seaside.
In the meantime, Kongorong hosts a depleted seaside team in round 15.
Coach Jack Kelly and versatile big man Riley Dickenson are set to be sidelined with injury.
At their best, Kongorong players can be the equal of every team in the competition but they fail to sustain this effort over all four quarters.
Lapses in concentration can prove critical against the top sides and they can achieve a game-busting lead in the space of a few minutes.
With Glencoe having the bye this round, Robe has the opportunity to reclaim top spot if it can win at Kongorong.
NANGWARRY v MOUNT BURR
THE two so-called “timber towns” have had an affinity since the mid-point of the 20th century as well as an intense football rivalry for almost as long.
Both towns were established by the Wood and Forests Department and their mills employed many footballers.
The two mills are now closed, but the two football clubs are still going strong despite some setbacks.
For Nangwarry, it has been well documented a probable arson attack destroyed its licensed clubrooms in January while its long losing sequence has continued.
This round marks the fifth anniversary of the last win by the Saints which occurred at Robe.
On that occasion, the Saints defeated the Roosters by 11 points.
The Nangwarry club spirit remains strong, re-building plans are well in hand and the on-field performances are improving.
A win has proved elusive, but the team is building scores and limiting the deficits.
Over in the Mount Burr camp, it has not suffered the off-field setbacks, but the onfield performances have been disappointing.
The thin playing stocks of the Mozzies have been well and truly exposed throughout much of 2019.
When some injuries and social commitments have robbed the team of several first-choice players, the gaps have been difficult to fill.
Nonetheless, the true Mozzie spirit has continued to shine through and old-timers have come out of retirement to bolster numbers while colts have been willing to play two games on a Saturday for a similar reason.
You have to go back many years to find the last time a Mount Burr team had come to the end of July and known a finals berth was out of reach.
Although the football is about to come to a close, Mount Burr supporters can look forward to the premiership reunion on August 17 as well as hosting the MSEFL medal counts and the grand final.
In the meantime, a win at Nangwarry is a near-certainty.
