In the first game at No.1 Oval the Swans host the New England Nomads. The honours are one all for these 2 this year but both games have been close. Both teams match up well on each other and this game should be no different. As we have seen earlier this year the Nomads are dangerous when their backs are against the wall. Well their backs are definitely against the wall now as they find themselves 2 games and percentage behind 4th place on the ladder. The Nomads will have to win all of their remaining 5 games this year to make the finals. They may be able to drop one of these but it would be a risk. The Swans on the other hand have taken giant strides this year and are now becoming the hunted as the league leaders. In their last three games the Swans have won the one they were expected to win (Cats), but lost the 2 they needed to win (Bulldogs and Kangaroos) in games that they did not put in a full 4 quarter effort. Coach Rick Watt has done wonders with the Swans this year but now he needs to sort out their ability to run out the whole game and it starts this week in their run to the finals. Nomads' Coach, Brendan Meehan, has had to compete with a range of distractions this year with injuries and actors hindering his team selections, but they have shown when they can it put together they are the equal to most teams.
This game will again be close but with it being played at the Swans' nest and against the Swans' Presidents' wishes, I am putting the Kiss of death on the Swans to win by 15 points.
Down at the Cattery the Cats will be nervously waiting for the Bulldogs to arrive. The last time the Bulldogs journeyed down the highway they left with a 108 point win. I genuinely thought the Cats were a chance last week against an under strength Saints team. Unfortunately for them it just wasn't their day. Interestingly the Cats have been blown away in the first quarter of most of their games, the exception being the games against the Bulldogs. In round 1 the Cats lead the Bulldogs at quarter time by 5 points but lost by 108 points and in round 6 the Cats were only 8 points down at the Kennel at quarter time but ended up losing by 150 points. If the Cats can get most of last week's team plus a couple of top up players for this game and can put together a consistent performance in the first half then they will show their faithful fans that there is a future especially with kids like Jackson Bower making his debut last week. For the Bulldogs though this is simply a must win game if they wish to play in this year's grand final.
I expect the Bulldogs to move back into top spot on the ladder by the end of this round with a 90 point win over the Cats.
The second game at NO. 1 Oval will see arch rivals the Kangaroos and the Saints do battle. Both teams showed last round that they are still genuine contenders for the title this year. The Kangaroos had their best win of the year against the Swans last round and the Saints showed they had more depth than most thought with their win over the Cats. The score is one all this year with the Kangaroos winning by 11 points in round 1 and the Saints just holding onto win by 2 points at home in round 6. There is rarely much between these two teams when they play and the result is good hard at the ball football with no quarter given. The Saints will need Shaun Mansbridge back this week to stand Andrew Hawkins when he is in the Kangaroos forward line. Captain Matt Harrison will probably get the dangerous Dan Overeem and maybe Jono Elphick will try and keep Pat Walton quiet. At the other end Saints goal kicking machine, Mick Viney, will need to be closely watched and so will Joe Kimmince. These two worked well together against the Cats and could be a new formula for the Saints. Kimmince is a vital cog in the Saints outfit as he can play anywhere down the spine and has put in game winning performances before in each spot, mostly notably in last year's grand final, with his ruck work nearly getting the Saints across the line. Kangaroos Captain, Tim Cotter, holds the key though I feel, as if he has a big one they will be very hard to beat.
This game could go either way but because it is in Tamworth the Kangaroos will get up by 6 points.
Last Modified on 21/07/2009 13:15