The Tamworth Swans travel up the highway to Armidale to take on the New England Nomads. The Nomads are the only team to beat the Swans this year and will be looking to back this up again to get themselves back into the top 4. The break came at just the right time for the Swans as they were looking very strong at half time in their last game against the Kangaroos, before a second half fight back by the Kangaroos that gave the Swans a wakeup call. After a great start to the year the Nomads dropped from first to fifth and have now put themselves under pressure, but that is usually when they play their best footy. The Swans will now start the second round on top of the ladder and we will see if they can handle the pressure of being the hunted after a couple of years in the wilderness. If the Swans midfield of Gavin Knee, Lachlan Rowling, Andrew Donohue and Captain Damien Wendt can get on top of the Nomads midfield early then they will win.
My tip is the Swans to extend their winning streak to 5 and beat the Nomads by 28 points
The Inverell Saints will be eagerly awaiting the Tamworth Kangaroos at Varley Oval in Inverell. The Saints finished the first round in second spot on the ladder after a start that saw then lose both of their two games against both Tamworth teams. The Kangaroos ended up in third spot after same time frame and had they not let the Swans get away to a 10 goal head start then they could have been on top of the ladder. These two teams have developed a fierce rivalry over the past few years and have been the stand out teams of the Country Energy TAFL over the last two years. If the Kangaroos travel with their best team then they will push the Saints all the way. Varley Oval also holds no demons for the Kangaroos as evidenced by their win last year in the major semi final. The Saints will need to find a new avenue to goal now that Co Captain Chris Whitton has injured his new and will be hopping that Mick Viney is available for the rest of the year.
Because it is in Inverell my tip is the Saints by 8 points.
In the last game the Gunnedah Bulldogs will be waiting for the Muswellbrook Cats to arrive at the Kennel. The Bulldogs were my smokey tip at the start of the year and haven't let me down. They started the season the best way possible before dropping a couple of games on the road and finishing the round off with another win. Although the Bulldogs haven't been able to get a full 22 together yet this year they have been able to get the 18 on field that they need and they have had winners all over the park. The Bulldogs are definitely the real deal this year and they are a real chance of hosting a home final for the first time in their history. The Cats on the other hand are struggling big time and it was good to see that they made the long trip to Inverell in their last game knowing they had next to no chance of winning. I cannot see them winning this game either but they will certainly be giving it their all you can be assured of that.
My tip is the Bulldogs by 156 points.
Last Modified on 09/06/2009 22:23