GVL | Finals race heats up in penultimate round of football

Euroa v Mooroopna

Euroa will welcome Mooroopna to Memorial Oval on Saturday afternoon in an important finals encounter.

The third-placed Magpies will return from the week off after falling to Seymour, while fourth-placed Mooroopna enters the clash after a heartbreaking loss to Mansfield.

Magpies coach Scott Rowan said he was expecting a good contest.

“The weather is going to be a little bit wet, so it’ll be a pretty hard round the ball contest, so we’re looking forward to it,” Rowan said.

“We’ve got a bit of a point to prove after last round, Seymour were good, but we were pretty ordinary, so we have to bounce back and respond to that game as well.

“It’s a really good chance to respond and a bit of a challenge at the same time.”

Euroa is expected to name an unchanged line-up for the clash, while its opponents may have a couple more players enter the squad.

Mooroopna coach John Lamont labelled the enouncter “massive’’.

“We let one slip at Mansfield, we were up at half-time and in front in the third quarter, but made too many mistakes,” Lamont said.

“We’ve got to play four quarters against Euroa or we won’t win.

“They were too strong at our joint in round six, so it’s a massive game for us.”

Saturday afternoon’s clash at Euroa will begin at 2.35pm.

Mansfield v Kyabram

In one of the other major match-ups Mansfield will face off with Kyabram.

Coming off a hard-fought win against Mooroopna, the Eagles will be tough to beat and coach Chad Owens said he expected this game to be a little different.

“Obviously the Cats are really fast, meanwhile Kyabram are a bit more experienced and have those bigger bodies,” Owens said.

“I would expect the Bombers to come out as physical as they always do, they have really good foot skills and we will have to be on our game that’s for sure.

“We were very happy with how we played against them last time, but a different crowd, different conditions and with them having a few back like Kyle Mueller, it is certainly going to be a tougher contest.”

The Eagles will be at full strength for this crucial clash, with star on-baller Patrick Marks set to return to the line-up and VFL talent Corey Rich staying with the team for the remainder of the season.

For Kyabram, the game is of utmost importance, with the Bombers on the cusp of a finals berth.

Coach Paul Newman has seen it all before and he is sure to have a trick or two up his sleeve in the quest to secure finals action.

Saturday’s crucial match at Mansfield will begin at 2pm.

Shepparton Swans v Rochester

Rochester will face a challenging away trip on Saturday afternoon, set to take on Shepparton Swans at Princess Park.

Looking to lock in a finals spot, the Tigers will need to be at their best to beat a Swans side that can take it up to anyone.

Tigers coach Steven Stroobants said his side would need to bring plenty of pressure and four quarters of football to get over the line.

“If we can continue to win the hunt at the man and the ball we’ll go a long way to winning the game,” Stroobants said.

“We’re all up and about for it, ready for the fight, so hopefully we can get off to a great start and go from there.”

For the Swans finals are now out of reach, however, coach Andrew Riordan said the side was looking to finish the season strong.

“The boys are refreshed after a week off,” Riordan said.

“We’re always able to do a bit better at home, Rochy are in good form, we’re looking forward to the challenge.”

The Swans suffered a disappointing loss to Tatura last round, with Riordon looking to bounce back this week.

While the Swans mentor remains sidelined with a hamstring injury, Rylen Damianopolous will come back after recovering from an ankle concern this weekend.

The Saturday contest at Princess Park will start at 2.35pm.

Seymour v Tatura

Football will be far from the most important thing at Kings Park on Saturday afternoon, as the Seymour Football Netball Club honours the memory of legend Sarah Locke against Tatura.

All footballers and netballers will don black armbands on the day, while there will be a minute’s silence prior to the seniors clash and afternoon tea taking place outside the club rooms.

“It is going to be a big day for the club and whole Seymour community,” Lions coach Ben Davey said.

“The Locke family has been a crucial part of the Seymour Football Netball Club for a long time, I played in a premiership with Stuart (Locke) in 1991, and we will do everything we can to celebrate Sarah’s memory.”

On the field the Lions simply must win to keep their finals hopes alive.

Coming off a season-defining win against Euroa a fortnight ago, Davey said his team would be raring to go in what he described as a danger game against the Bulldogs.

“The boys have been training really well and are up and about, so the focus is on living in the moment and playing our best footy against Tatura this Saturday,” he said.

“We can’t control what everyone else is going to do, we just need to win, and it won’t come easy against a Tatura side coming off a good win against Shepparton Swans.”

Davey is expecting to see a relatively settled line-up this weekend, with Michael Hartley potentially making way for VFL commitments and reigning Morrison medallist Jack

O’Sullivan an outside chance to return for his first game of the season following shoulder surgery.

Tatura on the other hand will be eyeing off a second straight win and ending Seymour’s finals hopes, as it looks to end Paul Kirby’s tenure as coach on a high in the final fortnight of the season.

The clash at Kings Park will get under way at 2.35pm.

Echuca v Shepparton United

Shepparton United will face the toughest road trip in the league on Saturday afternoon, taking on Echuca at Victoria Park.

The Murray Bombers are yet to lose a game this season and coming off a solid win against Shepparton are sure to be tough to beat.

Yet despite the challenge United coach Paul Serra was not focused on the opposition, saying this weekend was all about improving on the side’s last performance.

“Our list available isn’t as strong as we’d like it to be just because of so many injuries, but it is what it is,” Serra said.

“We don’t really care if it’s round one or round 18 there’s a lot to be achieved at each contest and what we need to do to try and get some scores on the board and restrict the opposition.”

While United is shaping to have a number of outs this weekend, Shane Sali and Mitch Oliver are set to return.

Saturday’s game at Echuca will begin at 2pm.

Shepparton v Benalla

In the final game of round 17 action, Shepparton will play host to Benalla at Deakin Reserve.

The Sunday afternoon fixture has the potential to be a nail-biter, with the two sides sitting one win apart on the table.

Benalla coach Mark McKenzie said he was looking forward to the clash.

“We beat Shepparton last time, so obviously they’ll be keen to turn that around,” McKenzie said.

“We’ll be equally keen to get our fourth win of the season and finish our year off on a positive.

“Their form, just looking at scores seems to be pretty good; they’re finishing their year off strong.”

McKenzie said it wouldn’t be easy heading to Deakin Reserve, with the side’s only game at the venue this season a four-point loss.

The Saints lose Tom Downie due to VFL Williamstown commitments this week, but could be bolstered by the return of a key on-baller.

“We’ll have quite a few changes from last week, some forced, some not forced,” he said.

“Jimmy Martiniello will hopefully play this week, he trained Tuesday night and we’ll see how we go, but the plan is for him to play.”

With the Bears missing defensive star and coach Ted Lindon, they will be up against it, however, they had plenty of positives last week.

The intriguing contest will begin at 2pm on Sunday.