By Marcus Uhe
A grand final rematch and two sets of old foes going head to head for the first time since 2022 – Outer East Football Netball hasn’t called round three of the Premier Division season ‘rivalry round’ for no reason.
It’s hard to know where to look, with a plethora of action set to unfold on Saturday afternoon.
Narre Warren faces Wandin for the first time since Wandin’s triumph on grand final day back in September in what will be one of the defining matches of the 2024 season at Kalora Park.
How much will last season’s final day disaster for the Magpies weigh on the minds of this season’s squad? We’re about to find out.
Not many sides will come close to beating Wandin in this season, but Narre Warren is as equipped as anyone to do so.
From four matches last season, the results were split two wins apiece, with two in the home-and-away season and two in September.
The sides’ total scores were separated by just four points across the first three games, before the 63-point grand final blowout.
Through Damien Furey, Wandin found an answer for Kurt Mutimer in the middle and had the midfield depth to overpower the rest of the Magpies’ engine room, while offering one of the few forward lines with the potency to outscore a juggernaut.
Todd Garner’s pectoral injury means the Bulldogs will need to find a new matchup for Will Howe, who has 12 goals to begin the season, as the Magpies’ forward –half arsenal looks as damaging as ever.
Narre Warren coach Steven Kidd said his side will need to “rectify” some areas in which they were found wanting on grand final day.
“I think their outside run is something we’re going to have to combat,” he said.
“I think they’ve proven that they’re very good on a big ground, and their forwards are quite dangerous, so the matchups are going to have to be something we look at in the next few days.
“It’s definitely a great opportunity to see where we’re at, see how we match up against them and see if we’ve rectified any of the things that happened last year.”
Wandin coach Nick Adam said he expects to see the best of the Magpies on Saturday in what he described as an “eight-point game”.
“When you sit at the top end of a division, you’re always going to get the best version of whoever you play because teams want to get a scalp,” he said.
“I expect that Narre Warren would absolutely be champing at the bit to get a hold of us.
“It’s a challenge for us and I think clubs that are consistently playing finals footy thrive on having that target on their back.
“We as a club aspire to be that every year and we see Narre Warren as that for us.
“We got them on grand final day last year but it was two-all over the course of the season and really significant games every time we played them.
“I don’t expect it to be any different this weekend.”
It’s set to be a huge afternoon at Kalora Park, with a rematch of the A-Grade netball grand final also taking place at 12.30.
Pakenham welcomes Officer down the Princes Highway for the first time since 2022.
The corresponding clash on this weekend two years ago saw the Lions hold off a late surge from Officer to win by eight points, before dishing out a 110-point thrashing later in the season as the wheels came off at Starling Road.
Just 4.8 kilometres of Highway separates the two sides on a geographical plane, but the question of how much will separate them on the field will be the only metric that really matters.
Officer has acquitted itself very well in its return to Premier Division so far this season while Pakenham can’t afford to drop games like this if they are to live up to the lofty expectations of premiership contention that many see themselves as reaching.
How the respective coaches deploy floating utilities Jake Gains and Jordan Stewart will be a fascinating contest.
Emerald heads to Gembrook Cockatoo in need of a win after dropping its opening two contests.
Sein Clearihan will need to ensure his players are ready from the jump – something that hasn’t been the case in the first two weeks.
Michael Firrito’s side will be seething after poor kicking cost them a chance of winning their second of two contests last week, and cannot afford to lose games on their home turf, where the size of the ground will be a significant adjustment for the Bombers.
Gembrook Cockatoo holds the bragging rights over the Bombers from 2022, when its two wins in the back half of the season trumped Emerald’s one in the early stages of the season.
Tips: UPWEY TECOMA v Olinda Ferny Creek, GEMBROOK COCKATOO v Emerald, PAKENHAM v Officer, WOORI YALLOCK v Berwick Springs, Narre Warren v WANDIN, Monbulk v MT EVELYN.
