GAME 1: New England Nomads v Muswellbrook Cats
The Nomads were good winners away to Gunnedah on the weekend which is never an easy task. The Cats also faced one of the great challenges of the Country Energy TAFL in the Inverell Saints and despite taking it to the Saints physically fell about eleven goals short. I can't see things getting any easier for the Cats in their trip to Armidale, with the Nomads starting to build some momentum into their season and looking like genuine chances for the big prize this year. The Cats will no doubt look to out muscle their younger opponents, but the Nomads midfield finesse and general speed and the spaces of Bellevue might see them struggle to get a shoulder on them. I love the way the Cats play their footy and the spirit they have shown this year but I cannot see them getting home in this.
THE DRUM: Nomads by ten goals.
GAME 2: Tamworth Swans v Gunnedah Bulldogs
Both of these teams will be disappointed with their respective losses on the weekend just gone, and I suspect the Bulldogs inglorious departure from the 2009 finals in their last trip to Number One is still a little raw. They will no doubt be looking to press their credentials for the end of this year in this match, with the Swans at this stage looking their direct competitors for fourth spot. This could be the sixth or seventh 'eight-point' game of the year, but it is certainly shaping up as one. The Bulldogs were reported to look the better team for good stretches of their match against the Nomads, but Scott Hardy is a big loss for them against an experienced midfield. The Swans' home ground advantage will take them a fair distance in this and the ear on the ground says their forward line will be bolstered further this week. I think that should be enough to push them over the line but it is not a confident tip.
THE DRUM: Swans by one straight kick.
GAME 3: Inverell Saints v Tamworth Kangaroos
The last match is a cracker, with the top of the table meeting in a replay of the grand finals of 2007 and 2008 and what many expected to finish the year in 2009. Both teams have only lost the one match this year, with the Saints registering some big scores at home recently. Their opponents on those occasions fielded weakened line-ups, and the Roos will be taking an army up there in the hope of seizing the mid-season lead. The one time the Roos have genuinely impressed this year was their first clash with the Saints, but their other efforts have been workman-like and that is the right approach to take north to Varley Oval. The Saints big home paddock has been a graveyard for most teams in the League and tipping against the Saints up there is tough. I think they will meet much sterner opposition this week and whilst believing the Roos capable of springing one, I will take the downhill route and go with the obvious favourites.
THE DRUM: Saints by three goals.
Last Modified on 02/07/2010 08:04