By DAVID NAGEL
SOUTH EAST FOOTBALL NETBALL LEAGUE PREVIEW – ROUND 14
BERWICK v BEACONSFIELD
BEACONSFIELD skipper Daniel Mislicki and his Eagles head back to the scene of their greatest triumph for the most eagerly anticipated Battle of the Creek in memory, against Berwick at Edwin Flack Reserve.
‘Slicka’ booted five and the Eagles broke a 10-year premiership drought the last time they set foot on Edwin Flack, with a 54-point drubbing of Cranbourne that capped off a magnificent 10-game winning run.
Ironically, it’s the same winning streak, by Berwick this time, which the Eagles will look to bring to an end on the weekend.
You name it, and it’s on the line on Saturday.
Bragging rights for best mates, Beaconsfield coach Clint Evans and Berwick’s Rhys Nisbet, potentially top-spot on the ladder, and the chance for both sides to rubber-stamp their premiership credentials.
Nisbet is fully aware of the importance, given a win almost certainly locks away a double chance for his team come finals time.
“It’s massive,” he said.
“We spoke about the last five games and what we had in front of us with Narre the first hurdle and now Beacy’s the second.
“We’ll pride ourselves on the work we’re going to put in to beating Beaconsfield, because it is a massive game for both clubs.
“There’ll be a big crowd, it’ll be intense, they beat us in the first round and we want to make sure we don’t lose to the same side for a second time this year.
“We’re pretty keen to balance the ledger and guarantee ourselves a top-three finish.”
Push all the other crap to one side because that really is the equation here for Berwick, who is trying to add this year’s double chance to its one-and-only of the last decade in 2011.
For a club that has limited success in recent times… this is a really big deal!
The biggest change at Berwick this year has been the look of maturity down back.
It’s already been well documented, but the inclusion of high-class footballers like Ash Smith, Michael Riseley and Michael Johnson has made a huge difference to the Wickers.
Throw in the emergence of Ryan Hillard, Jayden Joyce, Lucas Jellyman-Turner and Jo West and that back six has the excitement, and experience to guide it, that is proving the launching pad for success.
And you get the feeling that Smith, Riseley and Johnson haven’t clicked through the gears just yet!
Beaconsfield has been flying beautifully under the radar this season, but that’s more a reflection of their draw than anything else.
In the last eight weeks they’ve had six wins, all against teams in the bottom four, and two byes, the last of those on the weekend as they prepare for a very challenging run home, with Berwick, Cranbourne and Narre Warren all closing in on the horizon.
This is about the time where the Eagles took flight last season, and it would be a pretty appropriate time to do so again.
We’re going to learn a lot about the Eagles on Saturday. Things like whether their six-game winning streak, against inferior opposition, means anything at all, and whether their investment in star-quality forward Beau Dowler is likely to reap a handsome return come finals.
This is why they got him, to impose himself on big games and, in home-and-away footy anyway, they don’t come much bigger than this.
The two skippers, Madi Andrews and Mislicki, will be where the contest is most ferocious, while the battle in the Berwick forward line is also very appealing. Wickers like Ben Kearns, Mitch Johnson and Tim Gunn, whose size and pace could be a real handful for the Eagles, will match motors with Daniel Battaglin, Shaun Pollard, Jack Brown and Daniel Johnston.
And we haven’t even mentioned Scott Meyer’s ruck-work that is going to cause the Wickers all sorts of headaches on the weekend.
There’s a lot to look forward to here.
Expect a classic, and the Wickers to get home in a close one.
PAKENHAM v DOVETON
PREMIERSHIPS are not likely to come their way, but the finals’ hopes of both Pakenham and Doveton go on the line when the two sides collide at Toomuc Reserve.
Both sides have a stack of injuries, but probably equally as important to their team structures, so it’s time to put the excuses away and go head to head for a finals berth.
This one will be played with the ferocity of a final, the Doves keen to keep their Round-6 dominance against the Lions intact, while the home side will look to run the Doves off their legs in the wide open spaces.
But that might be easier said than done.
The Doves actually run out their games a hell of a lot better than they start them – but they are really slow starters!
They’ve been held goalless in four first-quarters and have kicked just 24 goals for the season. Compare this to their 43 goals in last quarters, which include eight against the Lions the last time they met, and they’re probably a lot fitter than we think.
Despite the injuries, there’s still plenty of class on the park for both sides.
Pakenham’s forward line will cause the Doves some headaches, with Jake Smith, Daniel Fry, Steve O’Bryan and Jason Williams consistent contributors on the scoreboard.
Cory Lenders has had a tremendous month of footy for the Lions, while Stephen Morey and Nathan Brown have stood up well in defence.
Jarrad Cavalot returned for the Lions last week, and his battle with Frank D’Agostino in the ruck will go a long way to finding us a winner.
D’Agostino will control the fuel that feeds the Doves’ engine-room, where Shannon Henwood, Sam Raru and Michael Henry will hold the key to the contest. The loss of hard-man Mitch Viney through injury will give the Lions some sense of relief.
The mathematics is pretty simple here.
If the Doves win, they finish the season on a minimum of 40 points, with a Round-16 bye surrounded by tough encounters against Narre Warren, Berwick and Cranbourne.
On current form it’s hard to imagine the Doves troubling any of those top-three contenders, so it’s win this week or suffer the indignity of finishing sixth or seventh in their last five seasons.
Pakenham play its home ground well, but the Doves are in slightly better form at the moment and will win their season’s grand final by under two goals.
ROC v CRANBOURNE
CRANBOURNE is fresh and fired up and ready to continue its six-game winning streak when it travels to Starling Road on Saturday to take on ROC.
Coach Simon Goosey dangled a carrot in front of his players at the start of the season – to work hard and earn a week away from the club either side of the Round-12 bye.
The Eagles certainly earned that break, and Goosey is confident his players will gain some benefit from a week away from the grind of a football season.
“The players have worked extremely hard… it was just to refresh the mind… to give the players a bit of a mental freshen up,” Goosey explained.
“We had a week off, from Tuesday to Tuesday, and I think some time away from the club can make you miss it and appreciate it a little bit more.
“I know I missed it and I was pretty excited to get back to training last Thursday.”
The Eagles probably showed that little bit of freshness early in their game against Tooradin last week, before finding their range in the second half and kicking clear for a comprehensive victory.
They’re building beautifully the Eagles.
Goosey has produced a master-class in list management, bringing key players back through the reserves and keeping little-known but high-achieving performers in the side.
Last week, in the undefeated reserves, he had senior captain Matt Rus and premiership defender Nick Barker scratching around, while some lesser names were playing key roles in the seniors.
Players like Shaun Sparks, Jordan Bertrand, Dylan Barfoot and Marty Leinmueller are going to make decision making difficult for Goosey over the coming weeks.
Just how is he going to fit them all in?
Cranny will need to be careful this week, because ROC matches up well and will be keen to make amends for its three-point loss to the Eagles back in Round 8.
The problem is, the Kangas will miss Chris Larosa – who was his sides best back in Round 8 – through injury, while Dylan Chapman and Luke Smaluch, other top performers that day, will also be missing.
Other danger signs include talented Eagle Michael Theodoridis being back in goal-kicking form, booting 12 from his last three games after going penniless in the three rounds prior.
They’ve just got too many weapons the Eagles and they’ll get home comfortably.
TOORADIN v NARRE WARREN
TOORADIN’s timing is impeccable, taking on Narre Warren on the rebound for the second time this season when the Seagulls and Magpies do battle at Westernport Oval.
Due to the vagaries of the draw, this will be the seventh time this season that the Seagulls are taking on a team that has played Berwick in its previous encounter.
With the Wickers winning their last 10 straight, it leaves the Seagulls open to revenge-hunting opponents who have just had a taste against one of the best.
Add to this the fact that the Seagulls haven’t defeated the Magpies since splitting their 2005 matches at one all, and you start to see the size of the challenge ahead.
It’s a 10-year drought that is unlikely to be broken here.
The Magpies will be keen to make amends for a rough three weeks, where a win over an injury-depleted Pakenham, sandwiched either side of losses to both Cranbourne and Berwick, has been their only reward for effort.
“We just need to sharpen our attitude up a bit and be accepting that we can be beaten in this competition once again,” Magpie coach Chris Toner said.
“For too long we seemed to have it easy (the Magpies won 53 of 54 games), but things have changed and we need to be fully accepting of that as we move forward.”
But it’s not all bad news for the Magpies.
They have a run of games against Tooradin, Doveton, ROC and Hampton Park that should leave them on 52 points heading into Round 18, with the clash against Beaconsfield at Kalora Park likely to determine who grabs hold of a double chance.
The Magpies will be strengthened this week by the inclusion of class midfielders Josh Tonna and Col McNamara, but will miss Kain Baskaya, who went down with an, as yet, undiagnosed knee-injury last week.
Tooradin has been starting well, sticking with Berwick and Cranbourne over the last two weeks, but has faded as its younger legs get tired.
Michael Hobbs, Andrew Proctor and Michael Wallace have been in good form of late, while Kris Sabbatucci and Adam Galea have had their hands full in defence.
It’s likely to be that way again on the weekend -the Magpies will be too strong.
HEAD TO HEAD RECORDS SINCE 2005
Team Wins Draws Wins Team
Berwick 8 2 11 Beaconsfield
Pakenham 11 0 10 Doveton
ROC 7 0 10 Cranbourne
Tooradin 1 0 17 Narre Warren
