Tamworth Kangaroos v Tamworth Swans at Number One Oval – 2pm Saturday
The first instalment of the 2013 Bill Holder Cup sees the traditional cross-town rivals from the Country Music Capital going head to head. The Roos were workman-like in their win last weekend, holding off a determined Dogs outfit under lights. The Swans showed glimpses off their best when facing the Nomads, but injuries late in the contest took away some key personnel and some much needed run and the Nomads ran rampant.
This match up has been dominated by the blue side of Tamworth in recent history. The Roos have been the alpha male in the town since the Swans took a memorable flag in 2009, and Andrew Donohue’s men will be keen to buck that recent trend. The Roos took all three contests and the Bill Holder Cup in 2012, and will carry plenty of confidence into this clash.
Last weekend, the Roos turned to the usual suspects in their opening round win. Matt Hodge was impressive playing as a small forward slotting 5 majors and they have unearthed another hard runner flanking in Dan Gimbert who was the catalyst in many attacking forays. Their always reliable defence was again hard to penetrate and with one of the best midfields going around they will be hard to beat in 2013.
As mentioned above, the Swans simply ran out of troops and legs on Saturday. Their hopes this weekend will hang on the fitness of some of their mainstays in Gav Knee and Dean Findlay. Knee injured a finger and could be a chance to play, but Findlay looks unlikely after copping a hard bump to his arm. That will leave the Swans side sorely lacking some experience for this clash and will rely even more heavily on the coaching nous and experience of Donohue.
The result of this one will depend of whether the Swans can slow the run and carry of the Roos flankers. Gimbert and 2012 Gillies Medallist Alex Hudson are excellent at breaking wide and supplying good ball into their forward line. The Swans will need to ensure those players are not allowed much freedom wide of the ruck and take advantage of any Roo turnovers. They didn’t do a good job of that last week and will need to improve upon that aspect this weekend.
TAFL Tipster – It is too hard to go against recent history here and I think the Roos will win by 4 goals.
Last Modified on 17/04/2013 13:35