Round 9: Parc de la Verendrye, Tuesday 3rd September 2013 at 7.15pm
In what might be a sign of things to come with finals looming less than a week away, the coaches have remained tight lipped about their ins and outs for tomorrow’s games. The shady punter had to resort to social media in order to find out every little bit of information about the players.
Bombers v Eagles
Very little has slipped through the cracks for this pivotal game against the bottom two te...ams. If the Demons were to lose against the Dockers, then the winner of this game would finish in 2nd spot and play the Dockers in the Qualifying final on Sunday in Saint-Annes’.
The Eagles might get Matt Davidson back for tomorrow’s game; however, Edis and Kempster are some of the major outs for the Eagles. That means that West Islanders are going to have to rely on the Canadian contingency to bring this game home. Edis in particular has been in spectacular for winning Best on Ground last round and has generally been the spark the Eagles needed against the Dockers. The Eagles are going to have to use their speed and youth to beat the Bombers who have always seemed to let up come the last half. They often have lots of players show up and they are as fit as they are quick. They are in need of a goal kicker with the loss of Smallwood and Edis and Captain Payne is more than capable of filling that roll, it just remains to be seen if he will get the delivery that he needs.
The Laval Bombers have often been the most difficult to predict since they have such a large list of players. What I know is that Graham is out with a shoulder injury, that Mike Johnson is out of town and that Gavidia is being rested for finals. Barranco and Strevens might be back for this game, but no confirmation as of yet. What can I say about this side, they have surprised many for good and bad reasons; they beat possibly the best team on paper in round 5 in their come from behind win against the Demons, but they have also been woefully inconsistent. In what seems like a largely undermanned Eagles side, the Bombers should logically use their wealth of experience and win the match, but the 2012 premiers have shown all year that there are no sure things in footy. The Bombers will need to keep the Eagles’ speed in check and they should win come the final siren.
Prediction: Eagles by 3 goals
Demons v Dockers
With the Dockers having already locked up a spot in the top 2, will they rest some of their better players on a 5 day turnaround or will they try to have good momentum coming into finals after last week’s shock loss to the Eagles? The Demons are playing a must win if they want to finish in the top two, this means they are going to come out firing on all cylinders!
The Dockers are an absolute mystery; Shaughnessy has been tight lipped throughout the week and hasn't been seen in public since admitting his scheduling error. The punter predicts that he will be fielding his best team tomorrow as going into finals with a loss will hurt his teams’ confidence. The core of the Dockers is some of the best in AFL Quebec as they are not only reliable, but are extremely efficient when they get the ball. Andrada, Campain and Duff have been excellent all year long and will look to continue their hot streak into finals footy. Rookie-of-the-Year front runner Matt Priess is going to look to cap off an impressive first year, and Emily Legault will try to win the women’s goal kicking award. All this to say that the Dockers have a lot to play for come tomorrow and don’t look for them to take the foot off the accelerator. They are one of the most skillful and experienced teams in the competition and have the perfect mix of speed and skill that makes them so dangerous. Look for them to use all those weapons tomorrow against the Dees.
The Demons are the strongest team in the competition on paper, but they have never been able to field a full team on match day. Graham is going to miss once again as will Dan Robinson who is slated to come back for the first week of finals. O’Farrell also let slip that tomorrow might be Clement Costes’ last game for the year, but this rumor has been unconfirmed. Having said that, the Demons still have a very strong core of players that cannot be taken lightly. O’Farrell, Jacobs and Lawless make up one of the most dangerous trios ever assembled and Pouessel’s return only strengthens the team. The Demons have enough weapons to match the Dockers it just comes down to the fitness levels of the two teams. Will the Dees be able to sustain the momentum that they gained last week against the Bombers this week? They will have to watch Campain who needs only 4 goals to equal Cam Stark’s performance of 28 goals in a season.
Prediction : Dockers by 9 points
Last Modified on 13/06/2014 06:22