Match 1 – New England Nomads v Muswellbrook Cats at Bellevue Oval
As with each clash this weekend, this match pits a Round 1 winner against a Round 1 loser. In the past, you would have been excused in thinking the roles for this one were reversed. However it’s the Cats who enter this one with a 1 and 0 record, whilst the Nomads come into this on the back of a tough loss in Tamworth against the Swans. This match, however, provides an early season litmus test for the Cats. They make their second longest road trip, to Armidale, and against a Nomads team that loves the wide expanse that Bellevue provides. It will suit the Nomads game plan much more than Number One did last week, and should mean the game is free flowing with limited in-close contests. The Cats obviously ran the game out well last week, which was something that let them down last year. If they have established a good fitness base this year, they are a real darkhorse for the finals. The Nomads on the other hand, battled hard all day, but gave the Swans a handy break in the second quarter that they couldn’t pull back throughout the day.
Much will depend on what kind of side the Cats can produce on the road in this one, and if they were to head to Armidale at full strength an upset would be well and truly on the cards, but the obvious tip here is the Nomads at home.
TAFL Tipster – Nomads by 3 goals
Match 2 – Tamworth Kangaroos v Tamworth Swans at Number One Oval
The Kangaroos may be quickly becoming the Collingwood of the TAFL, playing blockbusters each and every week. Their reward for heading to Inverell last week for a Grand Final replay - a massive Billy Holder Cup showdown against a resurgent Swans in Round 2. The Rooboys travelled understrength last week, and it showed late in the clash as their customary late match rally was non-existent against the Saints. The usual suspects stood up and were counted, but they were not given enough support around the key positions on the field. Tim Cotter will be hoping he has the full side to pick from this week as an 0 and 2 start to the season for the reigning premiers would be far from ideal. The Swans put a disappointing 2011 behind them against the Nomads, and the win last weekend must have been morale boosting for the Red side of Tamworth. This tipster is a huge fan of Rick Watt’s relentless coaching style, and the Swans must take inspiration for his hard-nosed, no-nonsense approach to footy. The opportunity to get one over the Roos this weekend must be massive motivation for the Swans, let alone the fact they can put a 2 game break between the Tamworth rivals to start the season.
There are a couple of big questions in this one, most notably being how the Roos respond to their first blowout loss in some time. One would suggest they will come out firing in this one, and the Swans will need to be well on their game to handle the early onslaught. But if the Swans could be equally fired up coming from such a gritty win and that could be the difference.
TAFL Tipster – Swans by 2 points
Match 3 – Gunnedah Bulldogs v Inverell Saints at Wolseley Oval
This match will be played on Sunday after a scheduling conflict saw Wolseley unavailable for a Saturday match. Both teams will get an extra day to recover from any opening round niggles, with the Saints in particular nursing a couple of early season injuries after a bruising clash with the Roos. From all reports they will send a slightly understrength lineup to Gunnedah, and the Dogs will be ready to take advantage of any vulnerability. They were well in the battle in Muswellbrook in Round 1, and new coach Errol Lather would have been impressed with his charges in their first hit out of the season. With so many new faces it may take a couple of weeks before the combinations come together perfectly, but the potential Bulldogs debut of a couple of Narrabri recruits could be a game changer this weekend. The Saints will be buoyed after such a commanding win last week, but have a few injury concerns headed into this clash. Wolseley has not been a happy hunting ground for the Saints over the years, but they did have two good wins there last year. If they can reproduce last week’s inspired effort, one would suggest they will be hard to beat.
Once again there’s some big question marks in this game, and this result could well depend on how well the Bulldogs line up with their new recruits. The Saints could well struggle with a Round 1 hangover and may be vulnerable in this one. In saying all that, winning form is good form!
TAFL Tipster – Saints by 1 goal
Last Modified on 18/04/2012 09:23