Match One: New England Nomads v Gunnedah Bulldogs at Bellevue Oval Saturday 2pm
The first of the weekend’s matches promises to be a good one with the rampaging Nomads at home to Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon. The Nomads have taken all before them so far in 2013, with a blend of new recruits and old heads getting the job done in style so far this season. The Dogs have had an impressive start to the season so far, with good wins over the Swans and Cats but were brought back to earth by the Saints last outing.
The Nomads enter this game off the back of a dismantling of the Roos in Tamworth 7 days ago. They have picked up some very handy new recruits in the off-season, with two of those being Jed Ellis-Cluff and James Boatfield, both of whom kicked a bag in the win. They have maintained their expansive running game and quick transfer of the footy from last season, and are still yet to put their best 22 on the field at any point this season. That only helps strengthen the argument that this team is the team to beat in 2013. Their midfield is as strong as ever, with Dave Graan getting first use of the footy from the twin ruck combination of Grant Elson and Omphile Temoso, and their runners in Riley Connor and Charlie Bender relishing the space out wide. It’s hard to find a chink in the Nomads armour, but the Dogs will be hoping to expose one this weekend.
The strength of the Dogs has always been their midfield. Their coach and captain, Scott Hardy and Andrew George respectively, are the heart and soul of this team. They provide the much needed drive from the middle and can drift forward and sneak a couple of goals at times. Much of the success of the Dogs hinges on that pair, but they will need help across the field in order to win this. New recruit Michael Kennedy has impressed in this first handful of games as a Bulldog and will be relied upon heavily again. Ruckman Alistair Hillard had an impressive game against the Saints last weekend but will have his hands full with the above mentioned Nomads big men. As such, the result of this game may again be determined in the Bulldogs forward line. Chris Gee managed a handful of majors last weekend and will need to do so again this week but the Dogs forwards desperately need to make the most of their opportunities going forward in order to get a win in Armidale.
It is hard not to be impressed with the Nomads this season. They seemingly have no weaknesses across the field and are very disciplined when it comes to playing team footy. At home, they are an even more daunting proposition and it’s very difficult to contemplate them being beaten here.
TAFL Tipster – Nomads by 35 points
Match Two: Tamworth Kangaroos v Muswellbrook Cats at Number One Oval Saturday 2pm
A very significant match up in Tamworth this Saturday sees the Roos and Cats do battle at Number One. The Roos have stumbled in recent weeks after a brilliant start to season with gritty wins over the Dogs and Swans. They were forced to forfeit to the Saints a fortnight ago and were comprehensibly outplayed by the Nomads last weekend. As a result, they find themselves in fourth spot on the ladder with a deplorable percentage and will face a pumped Cats outfit hot off their first win in 2013. The Cats were able to grind out a win over the Swans last weekend despite trailing by as many as 20 points to register what is surely a momentum building victory.
The Roos strength in recent times has been their hard-nosed attack on the red pill. It was on display for all to see in Round 1, and this tipster was very impressed with that display on opening night. However, after a gluttony of injuries, they were very rusty last start and were consistently beaten to the ball by the Nomads and when they did have possession, were careless in execution of disposal. That is a very uncharacteristic trait of a Roos outfit, and they will be very keen to turn that around this weekend. Matt Hodge has started the year in fantastic form and has been joined in the blue and white by new recruit Brad Rees who will surely strengthen the Roos outfit. Luke Robinson is not showing any ill effects of his knee injury suffered a couple of seasons ago and was outstanding in a losing side last week, and his run and carry from the back will be relied upon heavily here. Dan Overeem got back into some handy goal kicking form last weekend and his team will again look to him to being a focal point of their attacking forays.
The Cats have continued to improve over the past few season and coach Mark Duncan must be impressed with the rate of development of his younger troops. Ruckman Cameron Davis has been a revelation in the middle, demonstrating a good awareness of the footy and providing first use to his midfielders. Jackson Bower has been a perennial star for the Cats over the past few seasons and has enjoyed a great start to his season, capped by the winning goal in last week’s match. Veteran Ken Garland turned back the clock last week, kicking a bag of 7 to lead from the front and can also provide a punch out of the middle when called upon. With captain Brian Martin as efficient as always, the Cats have the basis of a quality footy side.
The old saying is “winning form is good form” and the Roos desperately need to get back into that winning form. The Cats will be starting to feel the affect of being on the road over the first 5 weeks of the season and will certainly find this task tough. The Roos should see this as an opportunity to improve their percentage, but cannot take the boys from Muswellbrook lightly.
TAFL Tipster – The Roos by 17 points
Match Three: Inverell Saints v Tamworth Swans at Varley Oval 2pm Saturday
The final match of the weekend pits the Saints against the Swans in the Sapphire City. The Saints will finally get a chance to run onto Varley Oval for the first time in 2013 following the forfeit of the Roos a fortnight ago. They always love playing on the wide expanse of their home ground and are very tough to beat in Inverell. The Swans were gallant in defeat 7 days ago and are still looking for that first win for 2013 and cannot be ruled out of this clash. Arguable their most memorable win was at this very venue in 2009 when they claimed the premiership cup and that memory may be enough to spur them on to bigger and better things this weekend.
The Saints have had something of a stuttering start to 2013. They were clinical against the Cats in Round 1, before falling to the Nomads in Armidale in Round 2 where by all accounts they had a good chance of taking the points. However, last weekend in Gunnedah the best of the Saints came out early when they blew the Dogs aside in the first 25 minutes and were never really troubled from that point on. They have one of the most potent forward lines in the comp when firing, and their versatility was on display last week with 11 multiple goal kickers getting on the score sheet. Mike Gould is the undisputed leader of their attack, and can have a day out on any side in this competition. If he gets away from the Swans defenders on Saturday he may have a field day. The Saints have blooded a few more youngsters this season and have seen the development of Hamish Bird continue to flourish. Buoyed by his selection in the Power side, he was outstanding in the middle last weekend and the Saints are relying more and more on his attack on the footy.
The Swans will take some heart from their performance last weekend. They continued the play for large part so f the match last week and deserved to come away from the match with something to show. They have not enjoyed their recent trips to Inverell, culminating with a heavy defeat late last season when they were very under strength. Andrew Donohue will be hoping he can put out close to his best 22 this weekend in order to give his boys the best chance of snagging the 4 points. Veteran Paul Tapper was outstanding as a focal point up front last week and is he can kick another bag, the Swans will be right in this clash. Captain Will Priest loves to lead from the front and will be motivating his boys to put 100% into every contest around the ground to slow the Saints right down. Sam Shelton has impressed so far this season but he could have his hands full playing across half back. If he gets free, he can start many an attacking raid with his penetrating disposal by foot.
The Saints love playing at home and are rarely beaten at Varley Oval. However, their most recent clash was the 2012 Grand Final which will not be happy memory for the survivors of that day. The Swans have a sniff here, but will need to get on the front foot early and take it right up to the home side.
TAFL Tipster – The Saints to win by 45 points
Last Modified on 08/05/2013 13:17