Trevor Jackson
The Mid South East football season continues to heat up, with Round 13 providing some real challenges.
All sides have shown promising signs throughout the season so far, with no time to relax against any opposition.
It all adds up to an intriguing back end of the season, with fortunes easily derailed with one bad performance.
Port MacDonnell v Mount Burr
The match of the round sees Port MacDonnell host Mount Burr in what promises to be a blockbuster.
The Demons come off a big loss to Kalangadoo, while the Mozzies took care of business at Kongorong last week.
Mount Burr has been around the mark in many games this season, after a slow start against Hatherleigh and Glencoe.
From there they claimed a solid win over Kongorong, before facing Port MacDonnell for the first time.
The Demons claimed the win in that one but by just eight points.
Round 7 kicked off a purple patch for the Mozzies, who have lost since.
A highlight was a win over Hatherleigh which showed the Mozzies’ best is good enough on their day.
Since their narrow loss in Round 6 to Robe, the Demons have also strung together some good performances, winning all games until last round against Kalangadoo.
Both sides have tentative holds on third and fourth place, one win clear of Robe in fifth.
Robe hosts Glencoe in what should be a victory for the Roosters.
That means the side who wins between Port MacDonnell and Mount Burr will remain in the four, still clear of Robe.
It adds plenty of interest to the contest, in a must-win scenario for both sides.
With the Mozzies on the improve, they should have enough in the tank to take care of the Demons in a tough fight to the final siren.
Nangwarry v Kongorong
In another tight contest, Nangwarry hosts Kongorong and would again look for another win.
However, it will certainly not come easy, as the Hawks look to remain off the bottom rung of the ladder.
The Saints occupy that position now and a big win for the season would be to finish higher up the ladder.
That will take more than one more victory but without a win on Saturday, it will be a hard goal to achieve.
Last time the two sides met the Hawks were off to a good start and continued to apply the pressure throughout to record a solid victory.
The Saints struggled to arrest the momentum, with Andrew Hyland a shining light up forward with his three goals.
Hyland has shown he can find the big sticks with regularity and will need to make his opportunities count on Saturday.
While this game may be a battle for the wooden spoon, it will certainly provide an entertaining contest and well worth the trip to Nangwarry, with the victor anyone’s guess.
Tantanoola v Hatherleigh
Tantanoola faces a tough challenge on Saturday when it hosts Hatherleigh.
The Eagles have certainly been one of the talking points of the season but have had to work hard for a few of their victories.
Back in Round 4 they easily accounted for the Tigers but the script has not been perfect.
The first blemish came against Port MacDonnell in Round 8, followed in Round 10 by another loss, this time to Mount Burr.
On paper the Eagles should have won those games but such is the changing of form across the competition, no side can be discounted on any given week.
Hatherleigh has plenty of depth through its Reserves ranks, which has provided relief with the current injury woes.
Six starters are out of action, with those numbers expected to return as the season continues.
In those absences the Eagles have still been able to perform well and will need to draw on all that depth again this week.
Tantanoola has struggled this season but has also returned some positive results.
The Tigers have claimed just three wins this season but have dropped a couple of games by small margins.
However, it is hard to tip against Hatherleigh as the Eagles push for a faultless run towards the finals.
Robe v Glencoe
Robe hosts Glencoe in what is certainly a must-win for the Roosters.
Robe currently sits in fifth position, four points out of the top four, with daylight to Glencoe in sixth place.
Back in Round 4 it was an easy victory to the Roosters but a lot has changed since then.
While Glencoe has recorded just three victories this season, the Murphies have looked on the improve in recent rounds.
They faced tough challenges against Port MacDonnell and Kalangadoo in rounds nine and 10 respectively, then went down narrowly to Mount Burr in Round 11.
They bounced back with a big win over Nangwarry last week and would hope to carry that momentum into this week’s game.
Typical of every side in the competition, Robe has enjoyed ups and downs in 2022, after a fairly strong start to the season.
Last week was a reality check, as the Roosters kicked 11 goals in tough conditions and still lost by a large margin to Hatherleigh.
Glencoe will carry the momentum from that big win over Nangwarry, while Robe will want to atone for last week.
It will certainly provide an entertaining contest, with the Roosters sure to take care of business on their home deck.
