By Trevor Jackson
KALANGADOO V ROBE
Round 11 of Mid South East football sees two of the league’s heavyweights go head-to-head at Kalangadoo.
The Magpies host Robe in what should be an entertaining game of football.
Robe sits undefeated at the top of the ladder, while the reigning premiers are down in third place.
Both sides come off big wins, with the Roosters keen to keep their undefeated record alive, while Kalangadoo would surely hope to chalk up another victory to sow some seeds of doubt in Robe’s thought process.
It will be a tough task to overcome the Robe juggernaut, with the last clash of these two sides a 40-point victory to the Roosters.
That was back in Round 2 and the Roosters were comfortable throughout the contest.
It was a slow start ot the season by the Magpies, who lost some players over the off-season.
They seemed to have settled at this stage and come off a 114-27 victory over Kongorong.
Robe made easy work of its clash with Tantanoola last week, so both sides are in good touch.
This game certainly deserves match-of-the-round status, but the Roosters should be up to the task and continue their unblemished run in 2023.
HATHERLEIGH V GLENCOE
Hatherleigh returns to its home ground after a week off with the bye and faces an up-and-down Glencoe roster.
Glencoe is hard to pick this season, with just two wins.
As last season’s runner-up, Hatherleigh did not start its campaign well, now in fifth place with just five wins.
The problem for Glencoe is its sketchy form, which was on display last time the two sides met.
The Murphies claimed an emphatic victory and looked to be on track for a strong season.
Tory Weaver stood up and kicked nine goals, with plenty of others getting in on the act.
For Hatherleigh, just Sam Telfer kicked multiple goals, with five to his name.
The Murphies then enjoyed a bye and on their return, it all went pear-shaped.
They lost to Kongorong by a fair margin, but the following week were in the contest with the undefeated Robe for the first half.
Last week Glencoe went down to the second-placed Port MacDonnell, while the Eagles sat out with the bye.
It would not surprise if the Murphies were to claim the win in this one, but the Eagles will have too much clout on their home deck and take the points.
PORT MACDONNELL V KONGORONG
Kongorong is another side with an up-and-down season, with its clash against Port MacDonnell a tough task.
The Demons defeated the Hawks back in Round 2 to the tune of 31 points and this game could produce a similar result.
The Demons have not relied purely on its big men – Tim Sullivan and Will MacDonald in particular – but have used a range of players well.
That includes recruit Colby Munro, whose skills were on display last week.
The Demons claimed a big win over Glencoe, as Munro had a day out with 10 goals.
Add to that the usual suspects in captain Mark Smith, Ned Wilke and of course incoming coach Josh Woodall and it soon becomes a big day for the Hawks to counter.
Back to the Round 2 clash and Jett Attard topped the goal-kicking list with four majors, while Jarrod Ryan and Luke McIntyre added two each.
Unfortunately there was not enough firepower to stop the Demons up forward, which could be the case again this weekend.
With just one win up their sleeves, the Hawks would dearly love to add to it, but it will not be against the Demons this weekend.
TANTANOOLA V MOUNT BURR
Tantanoola hosts Mount Burr and the Tigers would hope for some of the luck that had them close to the Mozzies back in Round 2.
after a slow opening term, the Tigers found something extra and then pushed the Mozzies for the remainder of the contest, going down by just seven points.
However, the Mozzies have gone on to hold fourth place on the ladder with six victories, while the Tigers have won just three and sit in sixth place.
Mount Burr will look for the win to cement fourth spot, with Hatherleigh finding form and fast catching up, just four premiership points behind.
That adds extra incentive to the contest for the Mozzies, while the Tigers are simply playing for pride.
Last week the Tigers were handed a thrashing by Robe, while the Mozzies did the same to Nangwarry.
While it would be nice to see another close match, Mount Burr will be far too strong and run away with this one.
