North Ballarat and the Geelong Cats go head to head this Sunday in a clash for the inaugural Cotton On Foundation Children’s Ward Cup with the added challenge of fighting for the opportunity to negotiate their final series campaign.
North Ballarat dropped out of the eight last week due to Williamstown defeating Port Melbourne and the Roosters having the bye. Luckily for the Roosters, the likes of Bendigo and Box Hill Hawks, who are on even points with them (32), lost last week which means North Ballarat has not dropped behind the pack.
In their last encounter, the Roosters disposed of the Cats by 24 points at Simonds Stadium. The Round 10 clash was a turning point in the season for each side. For Geelong, they have since won six games in a row, by an average winning margin of 45 points. The Roosters have won six of their next seven games to get right back into finals contention.
North Ballarat Coach Gerard FitzGerald believes this Round 19 contest will present a contrasting performance to their previous battle.
“We are lining up against a very different team this week. They have been strengthened and as a result will be a much tougher opponent. We have taken confidence from that win but know that this weekend will be a challenge,” FitzGerald said.
With the draw the way it is, North Ballarat have a prime opportunity to jump back into the top eight with Williamstown – two points ahead in fifth – having the bye this round.
However a defeat for the Roosters could be damaging as Box Hill Hawks, Bendigo and Sandringham all play bottom four sides this round, and would be favoured to record wins. North Ballarat are already hampered by being 8% outside of the top eight, so to possibly go a game and percentage behind those sides would make the Roosters final two games of the season (they have one bye left) almost elimination finals against Werribee Tigers and Port Melbourne.
“Six or seven weeks ago we recognised that we were not doing well enough in meeting our KPI’s. Since we have been able to adhere to these KPI’s, we have been successful. No matter who we compete against, we need to go back to our own internal measurements and hopefully this will result in three wins and a shot in the finals,” FitzGerald said.
Opponents, the Geelong Cats have week by week cultivated an assertive approach towards their performances that highlights the trust and self-assurance they have developed within their side. Coach Matthew Knights believes this is well deserved.
“The confidence of the team is due to the consistency of our play over last six weeks. Last week we were able to restrict Bendigo to 53 points which was below their season average of 99 so I guess our team defence was the best aspect of our game.”
Knights will not let this mindset cloud their judgement as they approach this weekend’s influential match.
“The last time we played, North Ballarat showed us that they are a quality team with their ladder position not revealing the whole story on their current form,” Knights said.
Geelong are presented with the prospect of securing a top three spot for the finals with their closest rival Werribee being fixtured with a bye this weekend. The Cats do not have an easy run towards the final series meeting Casey and Williamstown along the way. However, the fact that they have already experienced their quota of rostered breaks puts the power in their hands.
This Sunday’s contest will see the sides competing for $50,000 and the Cotton On Foundation Children’s Ward Cup.
The Cotton On Foundation has donated the prize money, which will be taken home by the Children’s Ward in the town of the winning team.
Both coaches believe the Cup is a fantastic initiative for the league and their local district.
“The opportunity for both clubs to compete for their respective communities is excellent and the commitment from Cotton On is appreciated by all,” Knights said.
“We really appreciate the sponsorship that the Cotton On Foundation has provided and the opportunity that it presents. It is also great for the competition that an organisation would hold the VFL in such regard to be associated with it,” FitzGerald said.
North Ballarat Roosters vs Geelong Cats
Sunday 5th August – 2pm
Eureka Stadium, Ballarat
Live on VFL Radio from 1:30pm
Last Modified on 03/08/2012 17:24