Round 16, Saturday 13th August, Morwell Recreation Reserve, 1pm.
With finals all but secured with two rounds to play, Eastern will take on the in form Gippsland Power at Morwell Recreation Reserve on Saturday.
Both teams find themselves in good form of late, winning two of their past three matches, after somewhat disappointing seasons to date. Although unlikely, the ninth placed Power is still a mathematical chance to pinch a position in the finals, but will need to win big if they want to keep their hopes alive. Eastern will be looking to end their opponent’s season with a win on Saturday, and will use the match as a good test before finals.
It was a disappointing loss for Eastern in Round 15, going down to the Falcons by seven points after leading for the majority of the match; but there were also plenty of encouraging signs from a relatively inexperienced side. This week the Ranges will regain most of their stars in Dylan Clarke, Callum Brown, Jack Maibaum and Joel Garner from school and state duties, which will go a long way to helping knock off the Power. Adam Cerra should also be fit to return to the side following a long stint on the sidelines due to a leg injury he sustained earlier in the season.
When these two sides met in round seven, Eastern were comfortable victors, winning by 50 points, they will be hoping for a similar result this time around.
PLAYER TO WATCH: Dylan Clarke
It is expected the captain will return to this week’s side, and if so, expect him to have an immediate impact. Clarke has played five games for Eastern this season, featuring in the best on all occasions. With disposal counts of 27, 32, 28, 28 and most recently 36 against the Jets in Round 13, Clarke will help ease the pressure on fellow midfield star Jordan Gallucci.
Last Modified on 09/08/2016 12:44