Central Districts Lions v Eastern Mavericks, Sat. April 14, 7:45pm at Starplex

Centrals has been quietly producing some high offensive totals, surprising both the Panthers and the Tigers, and would be relishing the return of Gawler local Chris Clausen, fresh from a season in the US with Fort Scott Junior College. Eastern are yet to win a game, and although Brad Hill returned last week, expect him to take some time to get back into form. The Mavs don't have much size, but neither do the Lions. Jarrod Graves leads the league in points per game, and Justin Clayton is not far behind. Centrals has the fire power to win this one, but the question is whether it can keep Eastern to a reasonable total. Jye Watson may make this difficult in his first game against his former club.

Sturt Sabres v Forestville Eagles, Sat. April 14, 8:15pm at Pasadena

The youthful Sabres have started strongly, despite losing Oscar Forman and Austin Smylie from last year's Grand Final team. Darren Ng is adjusting to the shift to the point guard position, and Marcus Ng has proved himself worthy of his NBL involvement. Mark Paget has also benefited from increased opportunities, and coach Liam Flynn appears to be doing an excellent job of juggling his ABA and state team commitments. Forestville's team also differs from last year, without Jason Dix and Brenton Campbell, but two familiar faces in Scott Arnold and Darren Breeding returned to the group last week. Both will take some time to settle in, but either has the ability to turn a game. With no danger of players falling through the cracks, expect Forestville to return to form in the pristine palace of Pasadena.

North Adelaide Rockets v Woodville Warriors, Sat. April 14, 8:15pm at Hillcrest

After an initial hiccup against West Adelaide in the absence of Ryan Kersten and Dusty Rychart, the Rockets have gradually ramped up in each game since. Last week's win against Forestville was befitting of the 20 point margin, and Ryan Kersten's 2^nd quarter effort started an avalanche that couldn't be stopped. Woodville has dominated its last two opponents in Eastern and South, but is yet to meet a team of North's caliber. Cam Wilson is the most complete player in the competition, going close to a triple double in his last two games, but will receive close attention from the likes of Kersten, Zorich and Burdon. 

Norwood Flames v Southern Tigers, Sat. April 14, 8:15pm at Mars

With Norwood convincing winners over both Sturt and West, it's difficult to imagine any other team competing with them until North in week 9. Their effort against a Brendan Mann-less Bearcats last week was impressive, as was the dominance of Cooper, Krause and Thompson. Todd Matthews is in Woollacott form, and Matt Clarke will have a tough battle to keep him out of the key. Southern's victory over Woodville and close loss to North appear impressive given the recent form of both, but they would have been disappointed to lose to Centrals last week. Daniel Lalic, Ben Hodges and Brad Gerlach have been good, but they need at least one more double-figure contributer to be competitive.

South Adelaide Panthers v West Adelaide Bearcats, Sat. April 14, 8:15pm at Marion

Brendan Mann is likely to return from injury this week and rejoin in-form Anthony Spadavecchia and streak shooter Danny Phillips in West's strong backcourt. West were outplayed by Norwood last week but still remain one of the strongest teams in the competition, and the strength and aggression of Kris Davis and Blake Truslove is difficult to match. South are yet to emulate their win over Forestville three weeks ago, and the loss of Lucas Smith to injury is more devastating given his excellent form this season. The front court battles involving Steve Pilkington, Agel Marchar, Blake Truslove and Kris Davis will be entertaining, but West should be too strong at home.