NEAFL – Round 7 Preview

TUGGERANONG v REDLAND

Greenway Oval – 11:45am, Saturday 5 May 2012

Cross conference clashes are always big occasions, but given the start the Hawks and the Bombers have had in season 2012, this one promises to be an enthralling contest.

Tuggeranong are winless in 2012, but results belie a fantastic team and work ethic, with the Hawks not solely relying on one or two men to get them through. Their efforts across the board against Hills Eagles on the weekend were fantastic, and if not for a disappointing third quarter, they may have come away with a win.

Redland, who are coming off the bye have had a disappointing two weeks prior, succumbing to Northern Conference powerhouse the NT Thunder, and sharing the points with Broadbeach in a high scoring draw at H&A Oval.

In what would be an extremely pleasing stat for Coach Glenn Gorman, Tuggeranong have had an even spread of scorers, with eight individual goal kickers on the weekend, including Michael Stevens, Phil Lovett and Ben Pocock who all chimed in with three goals.

Where the Hawks fell down however, was in and around the ball as the game wore on. If Tuggeranong want to take the points in this game, they will need to put out a four quarter effort with concentration being the key. Anyone who has seen the Hawks play this year knows they are capable of matching it with anyone on their day.

For the visitors, Scott Clouston is the potential match-winner, with the forward kicking eight goals in his past two matches. Allen Bielski managed five goals in their last match against the Thunder, and it will be crucial the Hawks limit both these key forwards scoreboard impact to walk away with the points.

With the added difficultly of travelling for Redland, expect this game to go right down to the wire but on results so far this season it’s hard to see the Hawks getting over the top of their Northern Conference counterpart.

BELCONNEN v MORNINGSIDE

Manuka Oval – 11:45am, Saturday 5 May 2012

The second cross-conference match sees Belconnen pitted against Morningside, both teams are desperate for wins after indifferent starts to the season.

The Magpies would consider themselves unlucky not to snatch a late victory over Eastern Conference reigning premiers Ainslie, after a last minute goal to Nic Paine sunk the team’s chances.

Morningside on the other hand have struggled in their last two outings against the Brisbane Lions and Labrador, going down by well over ten goals in both encounters.

This is a battle that will be won in the respective forward 50s. Belconnen have been well served by effervescent forward Shane Harris, whose trademark tackling and keen goal sense, have been just as eye-catching as his dreadlocked hair.

Conversely, Morningside only scored five goals on the weekend against the Lions, and will undoubtedly go down if that is the case again. Kent Abey has been a lone hand up forward, and he’ll have to have a big impact if the Panthers are to come away with a victory.

This will be an extremely hard task for Morningside, as Belconnen’s class and goal kicking spread should prove too much for the visitors.

SYDNEY UNI v SYDNEY SWANS

BISP – 12:00pm, Saturday 5 May 2012

There are contrasting fortunes for the two Sydney sides that lock horns this week, with Sydney University plummeting back down to earth after their first win the week before, going down to Queanbeyan by 80 points. Meanwhile the Swans fought out manfully only to give up a three quarter time lead to the NT Thunder in Darwin.

With the teams sitting eighth and fifth respectively, neither side can afford to lose. Sydney Uni is effectively out of finals contention if they drop this one, and the Swans will struggle to secure a double chance if they fall to the students.

The Swans have been well served by Canadian rugby star turned AFL big man Mike Pyke, who has been dominating the Eastern Conference with his sublime tap work, strong park marking and tireless efforts around the ground.

Another man who really needs to fire is Mitch Morton, recruited from Richmond at the end of last year; who is yet to break into the senior side. He possesses a fantastic ability to kick goals and can find plenty of the ball; it’s just a matter of further lifting his work-rate for the enigmatic forward.

Peter Dugmore and Adam Campbell kicked a combined seven goals on the weekend against the Tigers and their efforts will need to be replicated this weekend. Although they did go down by a large margin on the weekend, the Students were able to match the league leaders for a quarter last week, proving at their best, they can match anyone.

In the end though the Swans should prove too strong across the board, and should win this one comfortably.

AINSLIE v EASTLAKE

Ainslie Oval – 2:00pm, Saturday 5 May 2012

With Queanbeyan and Sydney Hills having the bye this weekend, all eyes will be focused on to this match, which will hand the winner equal top spot.

Ainslie were wasteful against Belconnen over the weekend but did enough to come away with the victory. The Tri-colours are starting to string a few wins together and recapture some of that magical 2011 form.

Conversely, Eastlake were magnificent in their victory over the UWS GIANTS at Manuka over the weekend. The GIANTS had been in red hot form, having taken out the previously undefeated Queanbeyan and the second placed Hills Eagles.

This one looms as a shootout with two forwards capable of kicking big scores at either end. Eastlake’s Aaron Bruce nailed seven against the GIANTS, and has been in scintillating form; while Ainslie’s Ken McGregor has been magnificent since crossing from South Australia, providing a great target up forward.

The key will lie in where the teams get their auxiliary scores from. Josh Bennett and Corey Baxter contributed a combined six goals for Ainslie over the weekend, and will need to find similar form if the Tri-colours are to overcome the Demons.

Comparably, Hayden Armstrong has been in great form for Eastlake, and has been a great foil to Bruce, chiming up on several occasions throughout the year to kick multiple goals.