By Lachlan Onions
HATHERLEIGH v MOUNT BURR
The Mozzies will make the trip to Hatherleigh this Saturday for Round 5 of Mid South Eastern football.
This contest looms as an entertaining clash between two sides vying for finals football this year and is the match of the round.
Mount Burr has launched out of the blocks this season with three wins from four games, with its only defeat coming to Port MacDonnell last weekend.
For Hatherleigh, it has been a mixed season, with one win from three games.
The Eagles kick-started their campaign in Round 2 with a shock 97-point loss to Glencoe but responded with a 10-goal win over Kongorong the following week.
Hatherleigh then lost by 34-points to the ladder-leading Robe Roosters who have already asserted themselves as the team to beat.
Sam Telfer has been in solid form for the Eagles in the forward line and has 13 majors this season, while Dylan Ridley leads the way for the Mozzies with eight majors in four games.
If history offers anything then it would suggest this clash could go either way as when these sides met last season, the wins were split one a piece.
The Eagles will head into this contest as slight favourites but this clash could go either way and will likely go down to the wire.
PORT MACDONNELL v NANGWARRY
A one-sided affair will likely take place at the Bay on Saturday with Port MacDonnell hosting Nangwarry.
With a revamped roster, the Demons are already looking like they will be competing at the pointy end of the season, while the Saints have struggled to hit the ground running in their opening three games.
Heading into this weekend, Port MacDonnell is second on the ladder with three wins from four games, while Nangwarry is last and the only team yet to claim a win this season.
Mark Smith and Colby Munro have been in fine form for the Demons with the latter heading into this clash off the back of a nine-goal haul against the Mozzies in Round 4.
With the likes of Will MacDonald, Wade Chant and Tim Sullivan in the line-up as well there will be little to no reprieve for Nangwarry across the ground.
Tyler Virgo and Jack Pudney have been the most consistent performers for the Saints but will face a tough task as the Demons have been one of the most dangerous sides in the league so far.
Port MacDonnell should claim victory with relative ease, while Nangwarry will likely be focussing on other fixtures to claim its first win of the campaign.
KALANGADOO v TANTANOOLA
An interesting clash could take place at Kalangadoo when the Tigers face the Magpies.
On paper, the reigning premiers would head into this clash as favourites on their own turf but Tantanoola has shown some promising signs this year.
The Magpies have won two of the four games this season and most notably suffered an agonising one-point loss to Mount Burr in Round 3, while the Tigers have won one of their three games.
It was a poor start to the season for Tantanoola with a 90-point loss to Robe, but in the two fixtures that followed, it has been far more competitive.
The Tigers lost by just seven points to the Mozzies in Round 2 and defeated the Saints by 67 points the following week.
Looking at the hosts, Dylan Bromley has been a key player for Kalangadoo this season and has bagged 16 goals from four games, while Lachy jones and Sam McManus have also been pivotal players.
For the Tigers, Jack Dawe and Cam Saint have been important players and will have to be at their absolute best if they are to pull off an unlikely but not impossible upset.
Ultimately, Kalangadoo should have enough strength to claim the win but it will not be without a fight.
GLENCOE v ROBE
Robe will look to continue its perfect start to the 2023 season when it travels to Glencoe this weekend.
The Roosters have been far and away the best team in the competition and have stamped their authority as premiership contenders already.
Glencoe on the other hand has been a mixed bag, as it suffered a 93-point loss to Port MacDonnell to begin the season, then rebounded with a 97-point win over Hatherleigh, before losing to Kongorong by 42 points.
The Roosters have a stacked line-up across the ground and look dangerous in every matchup.
Robe’s Hamish Smith has continued to be a weapon in the forward line after he moved to the seaside club during the off-season and has kicked 13 goals this year.
He has been supported by new coach Nathan Brown as well as Henry Hawker who have combined for 18 goals this year.
For Glencoe, Tory Weaver was in unstoppable form against Hatherleigh and bagged nine goals to guide his side to victory in Round 2, while Patrick Mitchell and Dylan Childs have been consistent performers around the contest.
This clash will likely be fairly one-sided and the Roosters should claim their fifth-straight win with relative ease.
