Week Seven Preview

The seventh weekend of action sees some fantastic matchups taking place, with the headline act between the contest between premier division rivals Narre Warren and Woori Yallock.

First and second on ladder in senior football, the Magpies and the Tigers are expected to put on a great contest for the broadcast game at Kalora Park with the matchup on the netball court expected to play out in similar fashion.

Mount Evelyn and Upwey Tecoma as well as Monbulk and Wandin will go head-t0-head for the first time since the formation of Outer East FN, while it will be the same case for Pakenham Lions and Beaconsfield down at James Bathe Reserve in Cardinia Shire.

The young guns of Healesville will look to go in hard against Seville, while the contest between Alexandra and Kinglake is expected to be a great matchup.

It will be a huge day of sport for the Murrindindi Shire, with Yea Showgrounds hosting a suite of netball games to run alongside the Broadford Yea and Powelltown football games, which is expected to create a magnificent atmosphere around the community.

Take a look at what’s to come this weekend with the week seven preview here:

Premier Data Premier Division Football

Currently last and third last on the ladder, Mount Evelyn and Upwey Tecoma will have the aim of victory in its sights this weekend when they go up against each other on the Rovers’ home deck. Coming off a bad loss to Narre Warren last week, the Rovers will be keen to get its first win on the board for 2022 to prove they can remain relevant against its rivals, but the Tigers will be feeling the same way following its loss to Pakenham where they were not able to keep up with the Lions last Saturday.

The match of the round contest between top-placed Narre Warren and second-placed Woori Yallock is set to be a cracking game between two sides that have proven to be the standouts in premier division so far. The Magpies are up and about, following its big win over Mount Evelyn last week while the Tigers are looking to bounce back following its first loss of the season to Monbulk last week. Narre Warren with its clan including the likes of Trent Cody, Jake Richardson, Kurt Mutimer and Tom Miller will look to continue its dominance with a win, but the Tigers of the Yarra Valley have plenty of talent up its sleeve too which means this could be an arm wrestle.

Appearing to be evenly matched on paper, Monbulk and Wandin will go hard at it this weekend to continue building some momentum into the season with the Hawks searching for its third win and the Bulldogs looking for its fourth. Both sides have performed well to date, but in a game where local rivals will want to get one up over the other, the result could go either way and a winner is hard to pick. As such, captains John Hevern and Tom Hinds will be sure to have their squads up and about for this all important clash.

Returning after a bye last week, Olinda Ferny Creek are refreshed and ready to go for a home clash against first time rivals Officer this week where the aim for the Bloods is to build from earlier wins against Upwey Tecoma and Monbulk and climb up the ladder. The focus for the Bloods during its bye last week was to rest and recover but remain focussed to ensure they can mount a challenge to its rivals over the next eight matches before they get an opportunity to rest again. For the Kangaroos who have had a tough start to the season, it will be all about trying to get some confidence back and mount a challenge against its opposition to ensure it’s a great game to watch.

Karcher Premier Division Netball

With both sides coming off a loss last week, Mount Evelyn and Upwey Tecoma will be looking for a great contest when they go head-to-head this week. With the Rovers sitting in fifth on the ladder with two wins and the Tigers in last with one, both are keen to build some momentum for the remainder of the season to climb up the ladder and remain relevant to its opposition. Kaitlyn Black will be doing all she can to ensure her ladies don’t let this one slip up, while David O’Hare’s girls will be ecstatic if they could pull off its second win for the year.

Just as it will be on the football field, the match of the round contest on the netball court is expected to produce the same excitement with the talented women of Narre Warren and Woori Yallock to match up for the first time in 12 months. Undefeated in its campaign so far, the Magpies will simply be looking to continue its merry way with the strong form they have produced. For the Tigers who secured its first win of the season last week, their ladder position is not a true indication of where they’re at, for they have been competitive in several games this season which included close losses to Olinda Ferny Creek and ROC who sit in the top three. As such, the broadcast game of the weekend is tipped to be a beauty which will have Erin Bell and Mia Sudomirski & Alana McGurgan up and about for this contest.

Meeting again for the first time since the formation of Outer East FN, Monbulk and Wandin will be looking to put on a good show for the local Yarra Valley crowd with both showing signs of good form in 2022. Despite the A Grade line-up looking good so far and being in some close games, Monbulk have been unable to build from its round one victory over Beaconsfield which means this matchup is an important one for them if they are to remain in touch with those above them on the ladder. For the Bulldogs, who currently sit in fourth with four wins. A win is exactly what they need if they are to retain its spot on the ladder.

In what is tipped to be a fantastic contest up in the Dandenong Ranges, Olinda Ferny Creek and ROC will go head-to-head for the first time as they search for bragging rights at the conclusion of the match. Typically, two very good sides and sitting in second and third on the ladder, both have been rusty in some areas of its game plan since returning for season 2022, even despite still managing to put the wins on the board. As such, this game is expected to go down to the wire and with the likes of Krista Tomlinson and Sam Neil in full flight, the result can go either way.

Local rivals Pakenham and Beaconsfield will also go head-to-head for the first time since the formation of Outer East FN at the end of 2018, where the contest is expected to be intense. Sitting in seventh and nineth on the ladder, both will be looking to get another win to try and move themselves up the ladder which means the contest between two old rivals could go right to the very end.

Community Bank Division One Football

Sitting in second spot on the Division One ladder, Emerald will be looking to maintain this position with a win over Belgrave this week where the Bombers will be hosting at Chandler Reserve. Emerald have performed well so far in 2022 and with its most recent win coming against Healesville last week, they appear to be genuine contenders with respect to the rest of the competition. For Belgrave, who had another big loss to Berwick Springs last week, they will be hoping for continued development for its squad this week.

Refreshed after a bye last week, Seville will be out to land another blow to Healesville’s campaign when they host the Bloods on its hallowed turf at Seville-Monbulk Road. Clearly the most dominant side in Division One, the Blues are in a destiny of its own where the team is working well together, the stars are playing well and everything falling into place as hoped in the pre-season, so another win is expected this week. However, the young guns of Healesville will put up a fight and do all they can to put a stop to the dominance of Seville.

Hosting on its home deck this weekend, thanks to a fixture change, Berwick Springs are aiming for the hard task of notching up three wins in a row when they face the travelling Gembrook Cockatoo. Dominant over the last two weeks against Yarra Glen and Belgrave, the Titans of Casey are riding a wave of confidence and will bring this into this matchup. For the Brookers who are currently in third on the ladder, another win would be a fantastic result when they travel into the housing estates of Grices Road to keep its momentum going.

Karcher Division One Netball

The netballers of Emerald and Belgrave are expected to put in a tough fight on Saturday afternoon when they go head-to-head on the courts of Chandler Reserve as they fight to get the upper hand over the other. With three wins each, both sides are evenly matched up which means a winner is hard to pick at this point but under the coaching of Michael Loulanting and Krystyna Gabell, neither will be willing to give in against one another which sees this contest shaping up to be a good one.

Sitting in last and second last on the ladder, Berwick Springs and Gembrook Cockatoo will do battle on the courts of Mick Morland Reserve where the aim will be to get a win and make improvements to move further up the Division One ladder. Under Shanae Ingram, the Brookers haven’t been able to replicate the good form they had in 2022, so a potential win against the Titans will be a good way to start the process of potentially turning things around for the season. For the Titan ladies, this will be their opportunity to claw back some ground on its rivals on the ladder.

Berwick and Yarra Glen will meet for the first time, with the Wickers keen to move away from the disappointment of losing the top of the table clash against Seville last week by getting a win against the River Pigs when they face them on its home court at Edwin Flack Reserve. The River Pigs have been strong in the attacking half of the court and can pull off an upset against the might of the Wickers but need to work well together as a team and execute their skills well if they are to get the job done.

ATC Traffic Division Two Football

Broadford Yea will get another opportunity to have a go and play as a combined outfit this week when they host second-placed Powelltown on Saturday afternoon. With the transition into a combined outfit proving to be a good fit so far, this clash will again be all about learning more of each other’s strengths and developing as a football team with the view of potentially having some success later in the year if they are able to get things right. For the Demons who grabbed a seven-goal win against Warburton Millgrove last week, the focus for them will be to keep things moving with a potential win on the cards.

Two typically competitive sides in Division Two, Alexandra and Kinglake will do battle this Saturday afternoon where the aim is to continue building momentum and maintain their positions as competitive outfits against its rivals. The Lakers are coming off a shock loss at home to Yarra Junction last week, which will no doubt spur them on to come out firing and prove to the competition that it was only a once off. Meanwhile the Rebels, who had a bye last week, are refreshed and ready to go for this all-important clash and need to get a win if they are to stay in touch with the top three.

Karcher Division Two Netball

One of two A Grade matchups taking place on the Yea Showgrounds this week, Broadford and Powelltown will do battle on the netball court this weekend in what is tipped to be a solid matchup between two very competitive sides. The Kangaroos are refreshed after a week off and hope to take the battle right up to the Demons this week, but they too are expected to come out firing following a loss to Warburton Millgrove last week which has left them in fifth on the ladder.

On a run of good form and sitting in third on the ladder, Alexandra will be hoping to follow on from this success when they host Kinglake on Saturday afternoon. With its A Grade side up and about, the Rebels are expected to get the win when they take the court, but the Lakers will do all they can to put a stop to it, with their A Grade side showing improvements of their own over the last fortnight.

The second match to be held at Yea Showgrounds, Yea will host Yarra Junction on Saturday afternoon with a win in front of their home crowd on a big day of sport for the Murrindindi Shire the target. The Eagles, however, have other ideas in mind, with win number three for the season high on the agenda.

Karcher Senior Women’s Football

Olinda Ferny Creek will host Pakenham for the second time in three weeks on their home deck, with the Bloods hoping to maintain the same result when they matchup against one another. For the Lions, they will be hoping to turn the tables on the result and make amends for the loss last time out. Boasting a stronger side now with new additions to the squad over the last month, Pakenham are well placed to pull off an upset but it’s up to them to put the work in against their opponents and get the job done.

Following a match where they achieved its highest score since the start of the season, Seville will have a tough task on its hand this week when they match up against the might of Healesville who are sitting in second on the ladder. Despite being handed its first loss of the year last week when they played Upwey Tecoma, the Bloods will be keen to bounce back and achieve more success this week.

The game between sixth placed Monbulk and seventh placed Yarra Junction is tipped to be a good game with both appearing to be evenly matched up. The Hawks are after its third win of the season to stay in touch with those above them on the ladder, while win number two for the Eagles who are developing well as a team and getting better on the run will be a great result for them.

Upwey Tecoma will look to potentially jump into second on the ladder this weekend when they host Belgrave at Chandler Reserve on Saturday afternoon. The Tiger ladies have proven to be ultra-competitive and consistent so far with their performances and will hope to do the same this week when they play Belgrave who are still trying to get a grip on the season following an indifferent start to their campaign.