Round 16

"Are you the best side in the competition, or the best handicapped side in the competition?"

Yarra's Leigh Ramsdale on the incoming Total Team Points system

The Headline

Just 4 clubs have competed in the past 14 Grand Finals, so the woe is me attitude coming out of Albury, Wang & Yarra over the new Total Team Points system is getting about as much traction as the cyclists on the gravel stages of le Tour.

The cry about player walkouts or not being able to attract talent, thus weakening the league is fear mongering at its best. It just means those players might not be wearing blue & white hoops, yellow & black or black & white.

Cheese with that?

Around the Grounds

A little bit of Eddie Betts magic lit up the O&M's Indigenous Round at WJ Findlay in a maybe not so one-off appearance for the brown & gold.

The former Carlton & Adelaide star dominated with 5.6, including this trademark piece of brilliance from the pocket.

With family ties to the club, the Rovers are hopeful of luring the deadly goal sneak back for more.

The Doggies & Pies have faced the worst of the injury front this season, but that didn’t stop them putting on another show.

Wodonga kicked out to a match high 19 point lead shortly after the main break, but it was all the Pies in the third with a 4 goal turnaround and their noses in front at the last change.

The Doggies threatened another boil over similar to their R3 miracle, levelling things up halfway through the last, but it was a bridge too far this time around.

Lavi & Albury played out a fizzer.

Despite being forced to recall 39 year old co-coach Shaun Daly to cover a light on defence, the Tiges bagged 8 unanswered while keeping Lavi goalless for a half of footy.

Would Morris Medallist smokey Billy Glanville have made a difference? Who knows, but Lavi certainly missed his beast mode having suffered stress fractures in his foot against the Roos in R9. Despite playing through against the Raiders & Pigeons, his absence was notable against the Tiges & is sure to be felt in the coming weeks, even though the loss effectively snuffs out any hope of a finals berth for the Panthers.

Goalkickers

🏉 Hopper Josh Minogue’s 7 goal haul against the Roos saw him jump to the top of the Doug Strang race, now 2 ahead of Pie Cal Moore who missed with a knee niggle

🏉 The Tiges Mat Walker put in his best performance for the season, equalling his bag of 6, this time against stronger opposition in the Panthers

🏉 Pigeon Leigh Williams also bobbed up with a handful against the Saints, maintaining his spot in rounding out the top 3

Match of the Round

Wang v Yarra

Much touted as the Grand Final matchup at the beginning of the season, this Pies & Pigeons did little to dispel that hype in their last meeting - 5 lead changes in the last 20 minutes - with many still believing it the likely outcome.

Form: Wang (4-1) - Yarra (5-0)

The reigning premiers are back on track in their winning ways after a R7 hiccup away to Albury, only Lavi getting within 4 goals since that point including top 3 sides North & Rovers.

Meanwhile, the Maggies had a convincing win over the Tiges a week after they rolled the Pigeons, a narrow slip up to the Rovers their only blemish of recent.

Last Time: R4 - Pigeons by 2 points

Tip: Pigeons by 10 points

"I was pretty sure straight away that I had done my knee again but you always hang onto a bit of hope until you have the scans"

The Power's George Sandral after confirmation of his 3rd ACL tear

The Headline

Lockhart's 14 point win was certainly tougher this time around on the road to Urana. In stark contrast to their 80 point R1 smashing of Billabong at home, they struggled to shake a determined Crows outfit.

Most opposition suggest the Dees are a 3 to 4 goal better team at Lockhart, backed up by the stats - conceding on average 22 fewer points at their burgeoning home fortress.

Whilst that might be all good for the home & away, it's a worrying trend given there's no home finals.

Around the Grounds

Holbrook have started to separate themselves from the pack entering the general bye - 2 games clear of equal third to sixth - after a 5 goal to zip final term against Jindera.

The Doggies though, really starting to feel the effects of injury with their only win of the past month coming against Culcairn, their double chance hopes now likely shot.

Henty got theirs back for the 2 point R1 loss to the Maggies.

Murray held themselves in it early with their first 4 shots all majors, but the Swampies 11 goals to 3 in the second & third - including a goalless Murray third - put the game well out of reach.

The Pies might have the last laugh first though, that R1 win meaning Henty will likely have to roll 2 of RWW, Lockhart or CDHBU in the run home to snatch a top 6 spot.

Howlong held the flag favourites to just 4 behinds in the final term, but Osborne had already done the damage by that point.

5 goals up at the first break, the Tiges put the Spiders to the sword with another 4 while not conceding again before the half.

Goalkickers

🏉 The Power's Ryan Beveridge (6) & Josh Kemp (5) took full advantage of the Saints fall from grace

🏉 Giants Mitch Thomas (7) & Mick Oates (5) also had little trouble with an under siege Lions defence

🏉 Hopper Luke Gestier stole the lead of the goalkickers back with 4, jumping 1 ahead of Trent Castles & 2 from the missing George Alexander

General Bye

"You have got three sides with a 11-2 record and a powerhouse like Kiewa in fourth. So any talk of flag favouritism is a bit premature"

Roos co-coach Justin Maybury on pinching top spot

The Headline

Someone has finally "caught up" to James Breen on the goalkicking list, and in a big way.

Despite being rubbed out for the previous month, the Hopper spearhead still entered R13 narrowly atop the table. On any other week, Breen's bag of 6 would have seen him extend that lead.

Enter Jack Chesser.

Barny were always going to do damage against DMB, but they clearly went looking for Chesser, who finished the game with 18 sausage rolls - enough to match the battling Bombers entire output 9 times over!

The monster haul sees him take a 10 goal lead into the final 5 rounds of the season, but it will be difficult to build on that with 3 of the top 4 in those games.

Around the Grounds

Yack have passed their test of the past 2 weeks, securing their 11th on the trot - ending a similar Beechworth run & taking top spot in the process.

The Bushies looked on song early, keeping the Roos goalless in the first quarter & leading by 28 points early in the second, before a 7 goal blitz saw Yack take the lead at the half & dominate the game thereon.

Conversely, it's hard to see KSC finding a way into the top 3 after dropping the past 2 to Yack & Chiltern, now 8 points & percentage off the double chance.

Connor Newnham squandered several late opportunities for the Hawks, including three shots in a row on the full, all but ensuring the perennial powerhouses will have to take the hard road back to the promised land.

Thurgoona took until the premiership quarter to shake off Rutherglen.

With a 9 point lead at both the first & second breaks, 7 goals to 2 opened things right up for the home team.

The Doggies game & a half buffer on Barny should be enough to seal 5th, even though they face the top 3 in the run to finals, the Tiges face a similar equation with 3 of the top 4.

Goalkickers

🏉 Mitta's Lincoln Reed bagged 7 against the Lions, backed up by Tom Gibbs with a handful

🏉 Roo Nick Donaghey's 5 saw him head the goalkickers in their blockbuster, 1 ahead of Beechworth's Lachie Armstrong

🏉 Swan Mark Doolan also popped up with 5, now a fair way off the pace of Chesser in 3rd with 49

General Bye

"Those good sides, they almost help you. They bring so much pressure themselves, you have no other option than to match it"

Blues coach Chris Dube on another strong win

The Headline

Milawa have let slip the best opportunity of the season to knock off the undefeated reigning premiers.

Trailing by a solitary behind at the start of the last in a see-sawing affair, the Dees will rue their inability to convert with 1.6 to 4 straight being the difference in the end.

But they've proven the Bombers can bleed, and with that...

Around the Grounds

A similar story unfolded at Goorambat where the Bats & Hawks played out a thriller, each team finding the ascendency for periods of the first half before levelling out in the third.

With scores locked at the last, North Wang's inefficiency with 1.4 to 2.1 cost them a spot in the 6.

There's now every likelihood that the Hawks & Roos will play off in the final round for the remaining finals spot.

Moyhu survived a massive scare against the winless, but highly accurate Benalla.

The All Blacks lead by under a kick at the last break - the first time since R14 '23, coincidentally against the Hoppers & the last time Benalla recorded premiership points with a draw - but the Hoppers +9 scoring shots pulled them over the line.

Greta have further cemented themselves as the primary challengers to Bonnie Doon (despite holding top spot for the time being) after taking care of the 3rd placed Mountain Men by 34 points.

The Blues extended their lead at every change, despite missing their spearhead & League leading goalkicker Frazer Judd. Dan Cassidy & who else but Jimmy McClounan stepping in to put the score on the board.

Goalkickers

🏉 The top 3 remained fairly stagnant this week, largely due to 2 of them sitting out, Bright's Cooper Thomason the only to play & managing just the 1 major

🏉 Greta's Cassidy & Bright's Declan Bren filled in the void left by the missing Judd & quiet Thomason, both with 5

🏉 Milawa's Jared Lea led this R14's goalkickers with a standout bag of 6 against the Bombers

Match of the Round

Bonnie Doon v Goorambat

Are the Bombers gettable here?
Their average winning margin over the past 3 weeks (19 points) after the bye has plummeted dramatically compared to the 3 preceding it (110 points).

Let's get one thing straight, nearly everything would need to go right for the Bats & the opposite for the Bombers - ordinary conditions, poor conversion (like last they met), maybe an injury, but none of that appears out of the question.

Form: Bonnie Doon (5-0) - Goorambat (2-3)

Goorambat have struggled over the past month or so, coming up against 4 of the likely top 6 & only saluting in one of those. Potency up forward has been an issue over the past fortnight without their leading goalkicker in Haebich missing, but if he's back in, they look a lot more sound structurally.

But regardless of how much by, a wins a win & Bonnie Doon just keep doing as good sides do, so it's hard to see them falling here.

Last Time: R7 - Bombers by 22 points

Tip: Bombers by 47