Eagles and Demons lock horns

Hatherleigh and Port MacDonnell will go head-to-head in Round 17 of Mid South East football on Saturday. File image.

Trevor Jackson

Round 17 Hatherleigh v Port MacDonnell

HATHERLEIGH faces a big test this weekend when it hosts Port MacDonnell in the penultimate minor round of Mid South East football.

The Demons have been in good touch in recent weeks as the business end of the season fast approaches.

It appears the Eagles have secured second spot on the ladder, with a big percentage advantage over the Demons but with two rounds remaining, anything is possible.

The main advantage for Hatherleigh is its depth, with the reserves undefeated to this point.

Any injuries can be covered, while the Demons are not so lucky.

Port MacDonnell lost a big list of players from the 2021 premiership side but has certainly remained relevant and in a position to defend its title.

Both sides are expected to have full lists heading into the clash, with the Eagles having the home-ground advantage.

For the Demons, Will MacDonald and Tim Sullivan provide first use of the ball from the ruck and add valuable goal-kicking skills to their resumes.

The value of Kev Thomson cannot be understated, with his ability to take on any role, forward or back and produce the goods consistently.

Add to that the hard, at the ball efforts of the likes of Ned Wilke and Mark Smith and the Demons cannot be taken lightly, as they showed last season.

The Eagles are just as capable of scoring, with the likes of coach Jake Dowdy, Sam Telfer, Jack Skeer, Patrick Chay, Brad Mitchell – and the list goes on – all capable of hitting the scoreboard.

Big men such as Joe Ferguson-Lane and Mark Marriott can control the contest in the air, while the likes of Jed Telfer and Jason Faulkner provide a tough brand of football.

While the Eagles have the slightly better record overall this season, last time the two sides met, back in Round 8, the Demons claimed the honours and held the Eagles to just three major scores.

This game deserves match-of-the-round billing and is sure not to disappoint.

The Eagles should claim the points but not without a fight.

Robe v Mount Burr

While the top four positions on the ladder are all-but set, Robe has an outside chance of sneaking in.

First the Roosters need to account for Mount Burr this weekend, which will be a tall order considering the recent form of the Mozzies.

Both sides have quite winnable games in the final round, which does add some importance to this clash.

However, with the Mozzies finding form at the right time of the season, it all points to a Mount Burr victory.

Glencoe v Kongorong

Only pride is on the line when Glencoe and Kongorong face off at the Murphies home ground.

The Hawks have played some patches of good football this season, while Glencoe has been in good form in recent weeks, with a good run up to last round’s bye.

The Murphies should take care of this one without too many dramas, despite a tough challenge around the ground from the Hawks.

Tantanoola v Kalangadoo

Tantanoola faces and unenviable task of hosting Kalangadoo, with the Magpies simply going form strength to strength as the season winds down.

The biggest talking point will be how many goal Michael Krieger can kick by the final round.

He currently sits on 73 with two rounds to play but will face a tough Hatherleigh in the final minor round.

The Magpies will romp away with this one and continue to fine tune as finals action fast approaches.