The undefeated Port Melbourne will line up against a Bullants outfit pushing for a top-four spot in a what is shaping up to be a tantalising contest at TEAC Oval on Saturday, as Samantha Landy reports.
Both sides are coming off nail biting wins in the previous round, the Borough having held off second-placed Williamstown to the tune of five points in a thriller at Avalon Airport Oval and Northern prevailing over Geelong by 10 points at Visy Park despite their horrendous accuracy in front of goal.
The Ants posted 13 goals and 23 behinds in their win against the Cats, starting the match with an appalling 1.11 in the first quarter. Geelong remarkably finished the match with one more goal than its adversary.
A best on ground performance by Jarrod McCorkell, who amassed 35 touches and kicked a major, and solid contributions from backmen Matthew Watson and Kane Lucas inspired the Bullants to a significant victory.
The win over Geelong was the Bullants’ first since round 15. Since then the club has had two byes and dropped two matches - one a very winnable game against Coburg in which they went down by 6 points and the other a shattering 57-point loss to Box Hill, - defeats which have seen the Ants drop from third to fifth on the ladder.
With tough games against Port Melbourne and the sixth placed Casey Scorpions to round out their season, securing the double chance heading into the finals is no guarantee for last year’s runners-up.
The Bullants must win at least one of their remaining matches to claim fourth spot and simultaneously count on Werribee, who currently sit fourth on equal points with the Ants, to lose both their final matches against Casey and North Ballarat.
Should Northern win both their matches, they would still need the Tigers to drop at least one of their remaining games.
The Scorpions and Bendigo Bombers still pose a minor threat to the Ants, both sitting only one win behind them.
The Bullants’ opponent has no such worries, having already claimed the minor premiership with their victory over Frankston two weeks ago. The Borough’s only real worry when they face the Ants will be preserving their remarkable winning streak.
The Port Melbourne steamroller will aim to notch up 17 straight victories on Saturday to further smash the club record they toppled last week by winning their 16th straight match for the season.
In addition to making history last week, the Borough once again proved their resolve by staging a second-half comeback to vanquish a worthy premiership contender in the Seagulls.
Port Melbourne fought back after conceding a 29-point deficit at quarter time to post the gutsy victory. The side was lead by its stars Sam Dwyer, Tristan Francis, Nathan Batsanis and Ryan McMahon. Stellar forwards Dean Galea and Patrick Rose chipped in as always with three goals apiece.
The Borough will start clear favourites against the Ants for obvious reasons, including having the home ground advantage.
But Northern should be hungry with a top four spot on the line.
The Bullants will also be keen to get one back on Port, having fallen short of Gary Ayres’ boys in round 4 by 24 points.
With so much on the line for both sides – keeping the prospect of an undefeated season alive for Port Melbourne and a shot at the double chance for the Northern Bullants – the scene is set for a classic match.
Last Modified on 19/08/2011 16:38