By DAVID NAGEL
SEFNL
PREVIEW – ROUND 11
NARRE WARREN v CRANBOURNE
NARRE Warren and Cranbourne… just three words, but together they sum up the last five years of competition in the South East Football Netball League (and previously the Casey Cardinia Football Netball League).
And this week’s encounter at Fox Road will continue a tradition that goes back decades.
The rivalry between these two great clubs dates back to 1954, when the South West Gippsland Football League was formed.
But make no mistake, at no stage during that 62-year journey, where the clubs were split for just five years between 1996 and 2000, has the rivalry been as intense as it is today.
It’s intense, but these two clubs have the ultimate level of respect for one another.
Blood has been spilt, and bodies bruised over the last five years as the Eagles and Magpies look to make this, their era of dominance.
Cranbourne was the best team of 2010-11, but split flags with the Magpies, before Chris Toner and his men went back-to-back in 2012-13 at the Eagles’ expense.
Memories of those games come flooding back at times, with the courage of Cranbourne’s Matt Rus, whose face was bruised beyond recognition in 2012, and Dylan Quirk’s last-kick-of-the-season point, which gave the Magpies victory in 2013, visions that immediately spring to mind.
Then there’s the joy as Cranbourne’s Marc Holt and Justin Berry locked bodies at the final siren in 2011, a day when 16 years of suffering ended for the Eagles, or when brothers Kain and Kerem Baskaya played in their first premiership together in 2012.
We better stop; the goose-bumps are starting to build!
But you get the picture don’t you? These clubs have shared their joyous highs, and their depth-defying lows, with the other as part of the landscape.
And we’ve all been lucky enough to have been there for the ride.
Apart from finals, this week’s game is as important as any have been over the journey.
The winner takes pole position in the hunt for a crucial double-chance, while the loser will have questions to answer… and they’ll more than likely be answered from fourth place on the ladder.
This is crunch time for both clubs this season!
“It’s just another game worth four points but we’re really looking to this one,” Cranbourne coach Simon Goosey said with a tinge of excitement in his voice.
“We’re traditional rivals and we both have very similar ideas on where we want to be at the end of the season… yeah, we’re really looking forward to this one.”
One thing that Toner would have noticed about the Eagles this year is that they are a much fitter and faster side than his opponents of years gone by.
No longer do they run out of steam, in fact they seem to be getting faster and stronger as games and the season roll on.
Luke Bee-Hugo, Mat Fletcher, Ryan Jones, Chace Struth, Tim Smith and Michael Theodoridis, the list of Eagles that can cover the ground quickly goes on and on.
Throw in the star quality of Holt, the defensive expertise of Brandon Osborne, and the grunt of Max Gearon and the Eagles are well-equipped to go all the way this season.
But this week they face a champion team who would love nothing better than sending its arch-rival home with its tail firmly wedged between its legs.
Most of the Magpies have been there and done it all before, but it’s probably how the new-comers to the side perform, that will give us a true indication of whether the Magpies are still at the top of the pile.
We know what we’ll get from Michael Collins, Lee Boyle, Col McNamara, Dylan Quirk and Ben King, but the likes of Matt Soroczynski, Cameron McKenzie and Daniel Jackson… they probably hold the key to the whole thing this weekend.
So who do we tip?
This is the collision of two game styles that have been altered significantly in recent times with the ultimate aim of beating this week’s opposition.
Cranbourne’s press-defence and much-improved structures around the midfield, versus the heavily rotating on-field style of the Magpies that can cause the smartest of coaches to be confused.
It’s going to be another cracker, you can feel it your bones… it’s the Eagles to win in a flip-of-the-coin job!
DOVETON v BEACONSFIELD
IT MIGHT not have the glitz and glamour of what’s taking place at Fox Road on Saturday, but Doveton and Beaconsfield’s clash at Robinson Oval will tell us a hell of a lot about the quality of these two sides.
Doveton is a completely different outfit now to the one that was handed a 25-point defeat by the Eagles in Round 3.
In come Frank D’Agostino, Michael Henry and Sam Raru to the midfield, while Jake Dermott has quickly promoted himself as one of the top-five defenders in the league.
It stiffens up the Doves and provides them with a realistic chance of causing an upset.
The inclusion of Jarrad Boumann, after two weeks on the sidelines through suspension, is also a huge bonus for the Doves, who take on a Beaconsfield forward line that is starting to purr.
Beau Dowler and Taylor Joyce have combined for 19 goals in the last fortnight, while Troy McDermott, and the returning Chris Worner, are going to be a handful for the third and fourth defenders of any team.
There are question marks going in for both sides on the weekend.
Apart from Beaconsfield’s Round-1 victory over Berwick, both sides have not tasted success against a side that currently sits inside the top-four.
The Eagles look well balanced at the moment, with youngsters like Bailey Morrish, Cooper Sheppard and Lachlan Modica keeping things fresh, while Dowler, Scott Meyer, Daniel Mislicki, Tyson Mitchem and Jesse Linkins have been providing the experience up forward and around the stoppages.
It’s probably in this area where the Eagles have the edge, with a deeper list of combatants to call on.
This is the perfect test for the Eagles; Doveton will hit them hard early and how they respond will tell us if they really do have the hunger to go back to back this season.
The Eagles almost convinced themselves that they were back in form against Pakenham in Round 9, but a lack-lustre first three-quarters against Hampton Park put the lid back on the box.
The Eagles will get the points… but only just!
ROC v TOORADIN
ROC’s season of torment continues on Saturday when the Kangaroos welcome Tooradin to Starling Road.
Fair dinkum, when you watch the Kangaroos play the way they did against Berwick last week it’s hard to believe they’ve only won two games for the season.
They matched the ladder-leaders in every department until three-quarter time and if not for a couple of injuries, and some missed opportunities in the final quarter, they may finally have had their first big scalp for the season.
They nearly had Doveton, Beaconsfield as well, and Cranbourne, well that was the big one that got away.
On paper, the quality of this side shines through, with Dylan Chapman, Chris Potalej, Chris Larosa, Ben Tivendale and James Canty providing a mix of poise and power that can match it with the best.
Nathan Brewster would need to lose a leg to miss out on a Team of the Year berth off half back, while James Sloothaak and Jake Ingaliso are two youngsters holding down the key defensive posts with aplomb.
There’s just something missing at the moment… or maybe the Kangas are following in the footsteps of Cranbourne of the late ’90s, and are set to emerge as a powerful force in the coming years.
Tooradin was extremely disappointing against Doveton last week, and its young side will need to reboot if they are to turn around a 35-point defeat to the Kangas in Round 5.
Pat Chin showed some signs of life last week, while Brad Lenders, Kris Sabbatucci and Matt Wade will look to continue their solid seasons to date.
A Seagulls win wouldn’t surprise here… but ROC will get the candy.
BERWICK v HAMPTON PARK
HAMPTON Park has faced some mountainous challenges over the last three-and-a-half years and the next one awaits with its trip to Edwin Flack Reserve to take on Berwick.
The Redbacks can take some real positives from last week’s effort against Beaconsfield, matching the reigning champs for three-quarters of footy.
But it’s what took place in the final term, a 12-goal to nil surrender that is a concern going in to this week’s clash.
The Redbacks are facing a team that has hit the scoreboard more often than any other team this year and is looking to develop a killer instinct. And don’t forget, percentage looks destined to play a key role when the starting grid is finalised for September!
Rhys Nisbet has brought a harder edge to the Wickers, but their modus operandi hasn’t changed, to move the ball quickly, run and carry, and give an exciting band of forwards an open look.
Ben Kearns just may well be the best finisher in the competition, while Timmy Gunn, Paul Vanschilt and Ash Smith can all kick bags on a given day.
You get the feeling that this one is going to be extremely tough for the Redbacks, probably their toughest assignment for the year, based on the opposition, the venue, and how they play the game.
Players like Adam Koe, Aaron Holden, Glenn Rees and Jackson Philpin will need to be on their toes, while Billy Thomas will need to control the tap-outs in the ruck to try and limit the damage.
It’s all one-way traffic… it’s Berwick by 100-plus.
