By DAVID NAGEL
TOORADIN and ROC will take centre stage at Westernport Oval on Sunday for the WorkSafe AFL Victoria Country Game of the Month.
One of only eight games to be played under the WorkSafe Game of the Month banner this season, the Seagulls and Kangaroos are sure to provide a tight contest for the dignitaries in attendance, with both sides desperate to get their first win on the board.
Tooradin president Derek Genoni said the Seagulls were proud to host the event, which featured guest speaker, former Hawthorn champion and WorkSafe Ambassador Peter Knights.
“When you take a look at our league, there’s probably only a couple of clubs that are true country football clubs anymore, and that’s ourselves and ROC,” Genoni said.
“We’ve got a terrific rivalry between the two clubs. I’ve got a lot of respect for their footy club, and I hope they’ve got a lot of respect for ours. We’re proud to be able to share this occasion with ROC and we’re looking forward to opposition supporters getting involved and making it a full weekend of footy.”
Genoni said Tooradin was ready to shine, after the anomalies associated with the draw made this the Seagulls’ first home game for the season.
“The ground’s in good condition and I’m confident we’ll see a good game of football,” the passionate president said.
“When you look at the results from last year, the two games between these two sides were separated by under a kick, both decided by a kick after the siren, so this game should be close and great for country footy, I believe. That’s what will draw crowds back to the game.”
The pre-season hype … well … it’s amounted to zilch for these two sides so far this year.
ROC’s big names have failed to fire with Blair Allan down on his form of last year, while Sean Roach and Matthew Ford haven’t delivered anything like their best since arriving from Mooroolbark.
It’s been left to familiar faces like Ben Tivendale, Matt Clarke and Matt Rogers to deliver, while Nathan Brewster has been impressive off half back.
Tooradin has Kyle Van Der Pluym and Adam Splatt in good form, but just can’t hit the scoreboard, averaging just 52 points per game, the lowest in the competition, in its first three rounds of footy.
This one’s tough to call … but the home-ground advantage will get the Seagulls home in a thriller.
