Last week saw a very one sided round of matches in Murray League Football.
The biggest victors were Cobram who won by 141 points, while the closest margin was 62 points, where Moama and Deni Rams were winners over Nathalia and Tongala respectively. Other big winners were Mulwala, Echuca United and Numurkah. This week we have 5 games that promise to be a lot closer, with the big game at Echuca United, between the Eagles and Finley.
Echuca United v Finley
The Eagles face a massive challenge today when they take on Finley. The Eagles are missing some key players through injury, but are still getting the job done. Farran Priest is in outstanding form winning plenty of the footy in the midfield and pushing forward and booting goals. It will be interesting to see to the Cats give the job of restricting his influence to, but Marcus Jackson could win the big task. Rowan Priest, Duane Hueston, Ryan Prendergast, Rowan Hill and Cam Parker will also play important roles for the Eagles. The Cats will hold a massive height advantage through Tim Robertson, Dane Maxwell, Tom Doyle and Jake Platfuss. While Matt Jackson, Ryan Bongetti and Kamen Ogilvie will be key players. This should be a ripping game on the Eagles home turf, but with the Eagles injury woes the Cats get the nod.
Barooga v Rumbalara
Barooga and Rumbalara both get the chance to get their first victory for 2013. Both these teams will gain a huge benefit from getting a win on the board. The Hawks need Luke Jarjoura, Chase Saunders, Sam Ryan, Ben Robins and Matt Hendry up and firing if they are to take the points. While Rumba will look to Levi Power, Ryan Hudson, Ash Millar, Eric Edwards, Leroy Boland and Dalton Guthrie to get them over the line. It’s a real toss of the coin game, but Rumba may just get the job done.
Congupna v Numurkah
Numurkah get the opportunity to continue their climb up the ladder in a real danger game against Congupna. The Blues had a convincing win last week with Dylan Sidebottom, Matt and Brett Chapman on fire up forward and Chris Oliver, Jack Miechel, Tim Arnel and Dan Buzza performing well around the ground. Congupna on their home ground will take the game right up to the Blues. The Road’s Shane Bensch, Nathan Congram, Aaron Cuthbert and Marcus Drum will have job jobs in defence, while Daniel Bowles, Ben Hicks, Heath Barton and Kaine Greening will also have big roles to play. The Blues should just get over the line, although Congupna at home will be no walkover.
Nathalia v Deniliquin Rams
Nathalia will look to bounce back from their disappointing performance last week when they host Deniliquin. The Purples will again need their big forwards in Brodie Ross and Jason Limbrick firing along with Nathan Ryan, Jarrod Maskell, Alistair Corry, Joe Richardson, Luke Quinn and youngsters Adam Hickey and Rhys Shannon. The Rams Ash Morris has been in outstanding touch and poses as a real danger for the Purples, while Anthony Bull, Beau Close, Troy Bartlett, Nick Howe, Ollie Draffin and youngsters Ricky Gittens, Jayden Pitts and Brenton Louden will be key players for the Rams. The Purples should be competitive at home, but the Rams should take the 4 points.
Tocumwal v Moama
In the final match of the round, Moama will be out to continue their climb up the ladder, when they travel to Tocumwal. Moama had Tyler Jones in outstanding touch up forward last week with 11 goals. He will again pose a problem today, along with Jake Kilmartin and David Cornish. They will gain plenty of drive in the midfield from Josh Maddox, Michael Sage, Daniel Thorp and David Ismail. The Bloods will probably give the job of containing Jones to experienced defender David Farrell or Ben Phelan. If the Bloods are to cause an upset they need big games from Dalton Sanderson, Trent Boglis, Aaron Findlay and Harry Crowe. Moama were impressive last week and should continue their winning streak.
Bye – Mulwala, Cobram, Tongala.
Selections – Finley, Rumbalara, Numurkah, Deni Rams, Moama.
By Neale Hawks
