New England Nomads v Tamworth Kangaroos at Bellevue Oval Saturday 2pm
A huge match up to start the weekend with the league leading Nomads taking on third place Kangaroos in Armidale on Saturday afternoon. The Nomads will look to continue their unbeaten start to season 2013 while the Roos will be desperate for the win to keep their chances of second place alive.
The Nomads have the benefit of a match under their belt after last week’s win over the Cats at home. They played some enterprising footy in the wet and cold and their running game will again be on display this weekend. Jed Ellis-Cluff has been arguably the pick up of the TAFL season, with his potent disposal into the attacking 50 and clinical finishing in front of goals adding a new dimension to the Nomad forward line this season. They also have the twin targets of James Boatfield and Simon Stubbs who will help contribute to the scoring. The Roos defence will need to be on their toes to slow down the scoring of the premiers.
The Roos have rallied and found some form in recent weeks. Their last loss was at the hands of the Nomads in Round 4 and they have disposed of their rivals easily since that match. They had their match washed out last week and could be a little rusty to start this match. Their younger stars have continued to play impressive footy of late, with Dan Gimbert showing the benefit of playing for the Power returning back to club footy in sparkling form. They will need to stop the Nomads attacking flair, but the Roos may well fancy their chances if a shootout develops at Bellevue on Saturday afternoon.
The Nomads have not been challenged so far in 2013 and this weekend could well be the match that shows how far or how close the chasing pack is. They will be keen to keep their unbeaten record alive and don’t often lose at home.
TAFL Tipster – Nomads by 26 points
Match Two: Inverell Saints v Gunnedah Bulldogs at Varley Oval Saturday 2pm
The Saints host the Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon in a match that has huge ramifications for the make up of the finals positions. The Saints are desperate to hold onto their second spot on the ladder and to do that they need to win these clashes at home. The Dogs face the prospect of being out of the four by Saturday night if they lose in Inverell and won’t want to give the chasing bunch a sniff of that.
The Saints have been somewhat inconsistent of late. They demolished the Cats a couple of starts back in Muswellbrook, but were unable to beat the Nomads before the break. They got washed out last weekend in what would have been a big test in Tamworth and now return home knowing a win is vital to stay in second. They have morphed into a running team over the past couple of years, but still found the Nomad midfield too quick last start. The Dogs also possess a couple of quick youngsters through the midfield and may look to expose the Saints on the counter.
The Dogs have desperately missed their captain Andrew George over the past month and his experience will be missed through the middle. They haven’t won a match since George went down and were comprehensibly beaten by the Cats in their last outing. A keen form analyst may use that as the form line to run through here, which suggests it could be a tough ask to come away with the four points from the Sapphire City. They will need to kick a score to be competitive and may need Scott Hardy to push forward and slot a few from the middle.
The Saints don’t often lose at home and will be stinging from their last defeat at Varley. The Dogs are not without a chance here, but will need to be daring and take the Saints on through the middle.
TAFL Tipster – Can’t remember the last time the Saints lost two in a row at Varley. Saints by 40 points
Match Three: Muswellbrook Cats v Tamworth Swans at Werriman Field Saturday 2pm
The final match of the weekend may well be the match of the round. It pits the 5th place Cats against the 6th place Swans, however the stakes are high for both teams. A loss here for the Swans would all but rule them out of finals in 2013 while the Cats may well be sitting in the top 4 on Saturday night with a win. One would have to go back to 2007 in order to see the last time the Cats were sitting so high on the TAFL ladder.
The Cats were very impressive two starts back in beating the Dogs at home but travelled light last week in the cold to Armidale. They were in that clash right up until half time before they may well have frozen to the Bellevue changing sheds and couldn’t stay in the battle after the long break. They have unearthed a genuine star in Cameron Davis who will play a big part in a win this weekend, while Brian Martin continues on as captain and leader. They have received great service from veteran Ken Garland this season and if he can kick a few goals again this weekend they’ll be hard to chase down.
The Swans have yet to taste success in season 2103 but the last time this teams clashed they went so very close. They will be keen for revenge this weekend and will be hoping the extended break might mean they can welcome back a few of their more experienced heads. However, the younger brigade of Sam Shelton and Janson Doughty have done a brilliant job for the club so far this season and could hold the key to the result of this one. If either one of those players can get loose and push forward, the Swans could kick the score they need to post that first win.
The Cats and Swans have had so many close battles of the past couple of seasons with the Cats holding the slight edge head to head. At home, they could be tough to shake again this weekend.
TAFL Tipster – The Cats by 12 points
Last Modified on 20/06/2013 20:22