By RUSSELL BENNETT
ELLINBANK AND DISTRICT FOOTBALL LEAGUE
PREVIEW – ROUND 5
EVEN over the jubilant scenes from the home rooms at Toomuc Reserve in Pakenham on Saturday, the bake delivered by Kooweerup player-coach Matt Shorey to his men could be heard.
As Good as Nar Nar Goon was when the game was there to be won, the Demons were just as disappointing in key stages.
Tom Hallinan’s men took away their time and space on the wide expanses of the Pakenham ground, and Kooweerup had no answer.
So, it doesn’t take a genius to realise the Demons are in for a big week on the track, to avoid a repeat when they host the Stars this week.
Kooweerup and Garfield entered the season as two of the favourites for this year’s premiership, but both have plenty of work to do to earn that favouritism.
Justin Berry (suspension), Lincoln Withers (knee), and John Atwell (holidays) will all return for the Stars this week, but they still have a host of big names out including Ash Brown (collarbone), Will Collis (work interstate), and Ned Marsh (knee).
The Demons will come out breathing fire early this week and, clearly, the quality of their forward-50 entries will be a focal point. If their midfield and mobile half-forwards lower their eyes and spot up the available targets, and the side has a better conversion rate on goal, Kooweerup should prove too strong at Denhams Road and win by three goals.
Plenty of intrigue will also centre on Cora Lynn’s clash with Longwarry this week. The Cobras have continued from where they left off last season and are still undefeated to this point, but the Crows have one of the competition’s most potent forward lines – even if they’re battling more than their fair share of injuries.
Despite the Crows only managing 43 points on Saturday against the Cats, Semir Zijai already has 22 majors to his name this season at over five per game.
If the Cobras can shut him down, it’s hard to imagine Longwarry kicking a winning score, but if he gets going and Tye Holland has his usual impact in the midfield, an upset could be on the cards. Still, the smart money is on a Cora Lynn win – by six goals.
Form side Buln Buln hosts Lang Lang on Saturday after the Tigers piled on a whopping 31 goals against a hapless Poowong in Round 4.
But the Lyrebirds are a completely different beast. They’re one of the most disciplined sides in the competition with a defence to match. While the likes of Luke Damon and Kurt Batt had an absolute field day against the Pies, don’t expect the same this week. Buln Buln should win by 40 points at home.
Nyora has the chance to break through for its first win of the season on Saturday, but there’s just as much likelihood of them getting their colours lowered by 15 goals. It all depends on which Nilma Darnum shows up, or more importantly, who shows up. For a club with such a talented senior list, the Bombers are one of the biggest hard luck stories when it comes to injuries and currently occupy 13th on the ladder. Only 12 Bombers players have played all four games so far this season, but in fairness to the Saints only 13 of their players have done the same. Still, the Bombers should prove much too strong.
The remaining two games of the round will likely be unfortunate blowouts in favour of Nar Nar Goon and the Warragul Industrials respectively, with Tom Hallinan and Ash Green wary of their sides taking Poowong and Ellinbank lightly.
