Week Nine Preview

This round sees more great action of football and netball taking place as we approach the mid-season break of the Queens Birthday long weekend.

A top-four clash will take place between Woori Yallock and Pakenham, while Monbulk and Officer/ROC will feature as the match of the round.

Local rivals Healesville and Yarra Glen will go at each other once again while Gembrook Cockatoo will play on its home deck for the first time in three years when they host Belgrave.

Division Two sees some competitive fixtures scheduled this week with Yarra Junction to play Warburton Millgrove while Powelltown will host Kinglake.

Healesville and Pakenham will provide great spark for its women’s football match while the game between Monbulk and Thornton Eildon will be played in great spirit.

Take a look at what’s to come with the week nine preview here:

Premier Data Premier Division Football

With both sides shaping up as top four fancies in season 2022, Woori Yallock and Pakenham will go head-to-head this weekend as the Tigers aim to resume from its bye last week on a positive note. A bad loss to Narre Warren two weeks ago has enabled Woori Yallock to undergo a rethink about its strategies and work out how they move forward for its next segment of the season, while Pakenham went down to Wandin on its hallowed turf in the Yarra Valley last week in a hotly contested game. With the Lions themselves having its first game back from a bye, this was not the ideal start, and they will be looking to make amends against the Tigers this week.

Mount Evelyn and Olinda Ferny Creek are each coming off losses from last weekend and will be hoping to make amends for it when they go up against one another on Saturday afternoon. Missing several key players due to illness against Officer last week, the Rovers will be sure to come out fit and firing against its local Yarra Valley rivals when they go toe-to-toe while for the Bloods who were competitive against ladder leaders Narre Warren, but couldn’t maintain a four-quarter effort, their clear objective is to come out with all guns blazing as the possibility of moving into fourth on the ladder exists come the end of Saturday.

Meeting for the first time since both were in Division One last year, Monbulk and Officer are set to resume its strong rivalry on Saturday afternoon with the game to feature as the match of the round. Both clubs have performed to the best of its abilities since the step up into premier division but need to get the four points in this contest if they are to move further up the ladder. Both are coming off wins from last weekend against Upwey Tecoma and Mount Evelyn respectively, which means the likes of John Hevern and Ben O’Loughlin will be firing up their squads to get the upper hand over the other.

Upwey Tecoma have got a tough task ahead of them this weekend when they travel to Kalora Park to take on ladder leaders Narre Warren. The Tigers have performed well, but ultimately haven’t been quite good enough to get some victories over its opposition in the recent past. They will need to put in their very best efforts this weekend if they are any chance of knocking off the Magpies. For Narre Warren, their job is to simply keep on keeping on, with the entire outfit working seamlessly now.

Karcher Premier Division Netball

Pakenham Lions have a road trip ahead of them on Saturday afternoon in its quest to win four from four over the last month, with its matchup against Woori Yallock taking place at Don Road in Healesville. The purple patch of form is clearly working for them, but it will be up to the Lions themselves to see if they can continue this as we approach the mid-season break. For the Tigers who took a win in the match of the round contest against Beaconsfield last week, a third victory for season 2022 would do wonders for them before they tackle the second half of the year.

Although disappointed to lose its first game in four years last week, the experienced and level-headed outfit of Olinda Ferny Creek have put this behind them with the focus now on what they can do this weekend when they travel to Mount Evelyn to face off against the Rovers, whom they haven’t met since 2018. Mount Evelyn were also on the receiving end of a loss last week when they went down to ROC and will be hoping for a competitive performance when they face off against its local rivals.

Featuring as the match of the round contest, Monbulk and ROC will be out to put in a competitive performance for the audience viewing via a livestream on Saturday afternoon, with the Hawks looking for two in a row following its defeat of Upwey Tecoma last week. They have the potential of knocking off the third-placed Kangaroos, but will need to put in a strong, solid performance if they are to pull it off. ROC regathered some momentum last week with its defeat of Mount Evelyn and will simply be looking to continue that form on Saturday afternoon.

Just like their football counterparts, Upwey Tecoma have got a tough task ahead of them when they go up against ladder leaders Narre Warren who have been relentless in their pursuit of success in season 2022. With Erin Bell having the Magpies up and about, the home side will simply be hoping for another win when they go against the Tigers, while David O’Hare will be doing all he can to extract the best performance possible from his outfit.

While their footy folks get a week off, it won’t be the same for the netballers of Wandin, who will travel to Holm Park to play off against Beaconsfield. With the Bulldogs sitting in fourth and the Eagles in nineth, this game will be all about challenging themselves and seeing what they can do, with both coming off losses to Pakenham Lions and Woori Yallock last week. A win will keep the Bulldogs in fourth spot, while a victory for the Eagles will see them regather some much-needed confidence.

Community Bank Division One Football

Healesville will resume its rivalry with the locals in Yarra Glen this week, when they host the River Pigs at Don Road. Suffering a form slump in the recent past, with its most recent loss coming at the hands of Berwick Springs, the Bloods need to get themselves back on track if they are to challenge when September rolls around. They have an opportunity to do that this week against the River Pigs, whom they only just managed to beat last time out in Round Two. However, with their captain Ben Ashton finally returning last week, it could be a different story for Yarra Glen who are a better outfit when the skipper is in the team, with a better performance expected this time around.

Gembrook Cockatoo will host Belgrave in a reverse of its Round Two fixture eight weeks ago. Coming off a bye last week, the Brookers are primed and ready to go as they try to consolidate its third placing on the ladder and potentially improve on it as the year progresses further. For Belgrave, who performed admirably against ladder leaders Seville last week, the motives will be much the same for the Magpies this week as they continue its development pathway.

Despite coming off a great month of football with three wins and a draw, Berwick Springs will have a tough task ahead of them when they travel to the hallowed turf of Seville Recreation Reserve to take on the ladder leading Blues. Having clearly improved on its outputs over the last month, the challenge for the Titans now will be to see where they’re at against the might of Seville who have time and time again, proven to be the class of Division One. For the Titans, the efforts of Daniel Ousley, Blake Simondson and Tom Nelson will be looked up to in its quest to try and pull off an upset while Nathan O’Keefe’s Blues will be sure to pull out all stops when the mighty Titans travel to them this week.

Karcher Division One Netball

Gembrook Cockatoo and Belgrave will head out onto the netball court on Saturday afternoon with the clear objective of getting a win over one another. The Brookers have shown signs in the last couple of weeks that they are on their way back, with a win against Berwick Springs and then a close loss to second-placed Berwick last week which suits them well as they push to get back into the top four and into finals contention. The motives will be much the same for the Magpies who share three wins with the Brookers but could be showing signs of fatigue as we head into the midway point of the year.

Seville will look to continue its successful campaign this weekend with a win over Berwick Springs who have had a tough run since its victory in Round One, but will be out to prove they are no easybeats when they travel into the hills to face off against its rivals. With the Titans having a bye last week and using the time to undertake a team bonding exercise, many would hope they can come out with an improved performance when they play the Blues this week.

A great contest shapes up on Saturday afternoon, with second-placed Berwick hosting third-placed Emerald. For the Bombers, the motive will be clear for them as they seek revenge after going down only marginally to the Wickers when they last played in Round Two. For the Bombers, they have come on in leaps and bounds over the last five weeks as they have proved to be one of the standouts of the competition. It remains to be seen whether their talent can stack up against the might of Berwick who, likewise, have also been very good in its campaign thus far.

ATC Traffic Division Two Football

Broadford Yea will play at Harley Hammond Reserve for the second week in a row on Saturday afternoon, this time hosting Alexandra who are looking to bounce back following a bad couple of weeks where they lost to Kinglake and Warburton Millgrove on its home deck. The combined outfit have proven its competitiveness over the last two weeks in losses to Powelltown and Kinglake who are in the top three on the ladder, which means they will once again put in a 100% effort when they host the Rebels, who will have undergone a rethink of its strategy over the last week, given they are now fifth on the ladder.

Local rivals Yarra Junction and Warburton Millgrove will go head-to-head once again this week, with the Burras looking for revenge over the Eagles after going down to them by one point in ANZAC Round. Warburton Millgrove are well placed to follow through with this, given a host of its players have returned from injury and other commitments to give them a big prop up, as witnessed with its win over Alexandra last week. The Eagles, likewise, are also on a high with its come from behind defeat of Powelltown last week which means Ewan Wadsworth, Troy Armstrong and their teammates will need to keep the fire going within themselves if they are to continue the momentum this week.

The clash between Powelltown and Kinglake is expected to be a beauty with the Demons exhibiting a more complete line-up this time round that gives them a better chance against the Lakers, whom they went down by a big margin to over ANZAC Round. Having held the lead for much of its match against Yarra Junction last week, Powelltown will rue a performance which has put them back to third on the Division Two ladder and subsequently look to put this to bed with a victory over the Lakers. Kinglake, however, have other ideas and will be aiming to spoil the party when they travel down the Yarra Junction-Noojee Road to face its rivals.

Karcher Division Two Netball

Broadford will be hoping to seek revenge against Alexandra this week following its loss to the Rebels over ANZAC Round. The Kangaroos, in fact, have not endured the run they might have hoped for since this loss, currently sitting in fourth on the ladder with four wins to its name. Hosting at Harley Hammond Reserve this week, the Kangaroos will put in their best efforts as they fight to maintain its spot in the top four, while for Alexandra, they have the potential of moving up into second should they be able to get the job done this week.

Just as it is on the football field, Yarra Junction and Warburton Millgrove will go head-to-head on the netball court with the opportunity for the Eagles to move into fourth on the ladder should they get the job done over the ladder leading Burras. The Eagles have been competitive in recent weeks with wins over Kinglake and Yea, and a close loss to Powelltown which ensures they are in with a fighting chance this week. For the Burras, they would be disappointed if they went down in the battle against its local rivals and will come out firing in this match.

Powelltown are looking for another win to consolidate its second placing on the Division Two ladder when they host Kinglake on Saturday afternoon. Despite a slow start to the year, the Demons have been impressive over the last month, taking three wins from four matches which ensures they are now one of the standout teams of Division Two. A win this weekend will consolidate its position in second for the time being, while the Lakers will be hoping for an improved performance when they play this week.

Karcher Senior Women’s Football

Following a shock 77-point loss to Healesville last week, Olinda Ferny Creek will be using the disappointment of the loss to drive them forward when they undergo some sort of a reset against Yarra Junction on Saturday morning. With the loss providing the Bloods with a true indication of where they’re at, they will use all the skills and game plan knowledge implemented at training this week to put in a good performance when they face off against the Eagles, who themselves are coming off a bye and have learnt a lot over the past two weeks with its gameplan.

A spirited match-up between Monbulk and Thornton Eildon will take place in the twilight of Saturday afternoon with both outfits hoping to grab a win this week. With Monbulk sitting in sixth with two wins and Thornton Eildon in nineth with one win, both outfits are evenly matched on paper which ensures this will be a spirited contest between two sides that play football for fun.

Healesville and Pakenham are set for a great contest in a game that will show how both sides are travelling. With both sides meeting for the first time in season 2022 and performing well to date, the game is expected to draw big attention and have lots of tired bodies come out of it by the final siren, with the wide-open ends of Don Road Sporting Complex to provide a big challenge for the women of the Bloods and the Lions.

Seville are on a high after taking its first win as a football team last week against Thornton Eildon but will have a tough task ahead of them when they host ladder leaders Upwey Tecoma in a twilight match that follows the senior men’s game between Seville and Berwick Springs. Although still building as a team, the Blues will be keen to show the Tigers what they’re made of in an effort that will provide an indication of where they’re at now.