Game One: New England Nomads v Inverell Saints at Bellevue Oval
What more can a footy lover ask for than a top of table clash to round out the first rotation of games! The ladder leading Saints will travel to Armidale to face the second placed Nomads in a battle for top spot on the Tamworth AFL pecking order. The Saints are coming off their biggest win of the season so far whilst the Nomads will go into battle fresh from a week off following the Bulldogs forfeit. The boys from Armidale are in the middle of their 5 game home-stand and will be keen to ensure they get maximum points before they spend two months on the road. This game will be the litmus test for them, as the Saints have traditionally had the wood over them. However, they split last year’s four games before they were eventually bundled out of the finals by Jason Gobbert’s men. This game will see the league’s best two attacks go head to head, with Simon Stubbs, Dave Richards and Weston Whitby constant threats for the Nomads. The Saints forward line is being spearheaded by Mike Gould, with Chris Whitton and Hamish Bird always keen to pounce on any crumbs around his feet. What can’t be understated here is that these teams also boast the best defense in the league, which means a shootout is no guarantee here. Therefore the battle that decides the fate of this one could well be in the middle of the ground. Both sides move the ball on quickly, but the Nomads have always loved to push the ball wide around Bellevue and make teams chase them. This could be the key to the game, as they Saints work to keep in tight and make the opposition earn the contested footy against them. This game is really a toss of the coin, and we could be in for a cracker of a footy match. Just because they are at home, and after a week off, the Nomads just for me.
TAFL Tipster – Nomads by 1 point
Muswellbrook Cats v Tamworth Swans at Werriman Field
The Cats come into this one on the back of a bye, which should help them here as they face a Swans outfit that travelled light on last week and are now faced with another tough road trip this week. These two have each played the league leaders in the last two weeks, and both were well in the contest if not on the scoreboard. The Cats have an impressive array of young talent coming through the ranks and will be a force for years to come if they continue to nurture that talent. Led by some old hard heads, they continue to play their uncompromising brand of footy, but throw in a little pace and panache to keep the opposition guessing every now and then. The Swans have had an up and down start to the season, and fought on hard last week despite the score line in Inverell. Rick Watt has instilled in his team a dogged fighting spirit, and they will need it this weekend. The wear and tear of back to back road trips could take it’s toll here, but if they are looking for any motivation, they need only remember the Muswellbrook boys took both games in their battles last season. Both teams will be desperate for the victory to stay in touch with the top 4, but again I’ve got to go with the home side.
TAFL Tipster – Cats by 6 points
Gunnedah Bulldogs v Tamworth Kangaroos at Wolseley Oval
After a fairly competitive start the season, the Bulldogs found the task of a third away game in four weeks to tough to handle last week and couldn’t muster enough troops to head to Armidale. They should have not such problem this week when they head back home to the wide expanse of Wolseley to tackle the reigning premier Kangaroos. Errol Lather would have been happy with his team’s performance against the Swans back in Round 3, and would be quietly confident they can produce another sterling effort this week. His has been well served by his Narrabri recruits, with Shane Murphy and Daniel Hughes leading from the front for their new team. The Dogs biggest hurdle this year has been kicking a competitive score, and if they can manage that this weekend, they are a real show of knocking of the Roos. Tim Cotter’s boys are facing something of a premiership hangover to start the season, and injuries to key personnel cannot be helping one bit. They have had two weeks to think about the hiding they received at the hands of the Nomads last start, and must be keen to wrest back some momentum in the coming weeks. I’m not ready to write them off just yet, with names such as Douglas, Hodge, Daye and Coombes still on the teamsheet making them a formidable lineup. They will get their groove back shortly, and I’m tipping it’ll be this weekend.
TAFL Tipster – Roos by 45 points
Last Modified on 08/05/2012 11:08