TATURA v ECHUCA
Both teams will be aiming for their first win of the season after a winless start to 20-15. Many were predicting the Bulldogs would slide down the table while Echuca was looking to improve on last year.
Tatura will go into this game without its coach Jamason Daniels (knee), Tom Miller (ribs/kidney) and Liam Borrelli (hamstring).
Veteran Paul Kirby continued his good form in front of goals, booting another four to go with his bag of five last week.
Captain Billy Lovel, Daniel Flynn, James Wall and Rian McGough were key ball winners for the Dogs.
Simon Buckley was a star performer for the Murray Bombers while Matt Pollock and Joel Magnabosco worked tirelessly despite coming up against a classy Kyabram outfit.
Not much will separate these teams. Neither team has multiple goal-kicking options to kick big scores, so both will need to make the most of their inside forward 50 entries.
For mine, Echuca will get the win in a low-scoring contest.
EUROA v BENALLA
Euroa will get an early indication of where it is at after tonight's match. The Magpies were too strong for a Mansfield team missing a few key players.
Benalla had to work overtime to get past a gallant Seymour combination.
Lachie Smith was moved forward with success, having finished with four goals.
He may spend more time as a marking target up forward if Josh Mellington is out of the team.
Nick Warnock is another tall option for the Saints to help them kick a winning score.
The midfield led by Will and James Martiniello and Luke Morgan will need to be kept in check by the Magpies.
One of the keys to that will be the performance of coach Nathan Gilliland.
It will be important for him to lead from the front.
Benalla is the benchmark and Euroa will need to play at its best to overcome them.
SWANS v UNITED
Shepparton Swans and United will be both eager to go to a 2-1 record. The Demons had plenty of scoring shots against the Cats but failed to kick a winning score.
Tim Looby and the coaching staff would have spent plenty of time doing some goal-kicking practice after a disappointing first half last week.
Ruckman Shane Neaves has settled in well at Demonland and feeding the likes of Matt Dibella, Matt Rendina and Justin Davies could prove decisive for United kicking a winning score.
On the other hand, the Swans have performed well in the season opener and did enough to get past the Bears.
Justin Maddern was a good focal point for the Swans while Andrew Riordan and Matt Keys were key contributors in the win.
I think the Swans will get the four points in a tight contest.
SEYMOUR v MANSFIELD
Seymour has plenty of positives to take from its season opener despite losing to Benalla.
The Lions pushed the Saints for three quarters without some key regulars.
Tom Bongetti proved a good find for the Lions with five majors in Saad Saad's absence.
Brent Colbert and Paul Scanlon showed the football public that at their best the Lions will be a team to pose plenty of headaches for opposition teams.
Mansfield are likely to be without the same key players that missed the loss to Euroa, meaning other guys need to step up to fill the gap left by the injuries.
For mine it will be the Lions that take the points.
My tips: Seymour, Swans, Benalla and Echuca.
Last Modified on 10/08/2015 12:16