The 10-team Central ABL fits perfectly withy the “rivalry” concept, and this weekend’s 5 battles include a mixture of traditional and more recent foes.

Headlining the round is the clash at Wayville between Forestville and Sturt. The last time the women’s teams met was in the 2009 Grand Final, in which Forestville were convincing winners, but the rivalry goes back well beyond last year, with the Sabres and Eagles contesting two other grand finals in the last decade. There iss a similar story in the men’s game – the teams faced off in the 2002 and 2006 Grand Finals, with the clubs splitting the victories.

North and Norwood’s men have also had some fierce battles in recent years. When the Rockets won the 2007 title, they had to get past the Flames, and the two teams were also involved in an epic overtime semi-final two weeks earlier. Norwood’s 1999 premiership featuring Rupert Sapwell as a player and Simon Pritchard as coach, culminated in a mauling of North in the Grand Final.

South and Southern have had somewhat of an exchange program in their women’s programs, and this has added fire to many of their contests. Southern won both bouts in 2008 while South returned the favour in 2009. With both teams desperate to break away from the bottom half, there is no clear favourite in 2010.

Eastern and Centrals’ rivalry stems more from remoteness than anything else, with both clubs regularly suffering the Central ABL’s closest approximation to a road trip. In 2009, Centrals men won both matchups while Eastern won both women’s games, but with off-season changes, 2010’s results are more difficult to predict.

At Port Adelaide, West host Woodville for supremacy in the Western suburbs. West’s men and women have both undergone a resurgence in 2010, but Woodville’s men and women are also on the improve. Look out for the first on court/off court battle between West’s leading scorer, Chris Molitor, and his father Mark on Woodville’s bench.

Rivalries aside, the round has added significance in separating tied teams. Sturt and Forestville have the opportunity to claim the first clear leadership of the women’s competition, and any of Forestville, Sturt, West and North can reduce the bottle neck at the top of the men’s ladder. At the other end, South, Woodville, Central and Eastern are tied for 7th in the men’s league, as are Southern, Woodville and South in the women.

Regardless of the outcome, the first rivalry round of 2010 will go a long way towards separating the wheat from the chaff.