THE battle for top spot on the Heathcote District Football Netball League ladder will go down to the wire, with Leitchville/Gunbower needing to defeat Heathcote at Leitchville tomorrow to stay on top of the ladder.
Refreshed after last weekend’s bye, the Bombers can remain on top of the ladder going into round 18 with a win against the eighth-placed Saints and if reigning premiers, North Bendigo record a winning margin against Mount Pleasant that is five points less than Leitchville/Gunbower’s victory result.
The Saints lost to Huntly by 77 points last weekend, whilst the Bombers defeated the Hawks by 40 points 13 days ago.
Leitchville/Gunbower holds a five-match winning streak against the Saints, which should extend to six games tomorrow.
The visitors will rely on midfielders Jake Condon and Dale Breeding, as well as ruckman Luke Edwards, to try to orchestrate an upset win, but the home side will have too many options at its disposal.
Ruckman, Cam Ross and utility, Jack Dye will be in the mix for selection if the pair went through training unscathed last night, with Brady Hore’s football experience growing after debuting for the Bendigo Pioneers last weekend.
Add in the defensive nous of Keiran Treacy and Ryan Prendergast, the goalkicking abilities of Matthew Perri and the midfield drive Daniel Couwenberg provides, and the Bombers’ 13th consecutive win of the season is on the cards.
Back in round eight the Bombers defeated the Saints by 130 points, whilst the Bulldogs prevailed by 29 points against Mount Pleasant. A repeat of these results tomorrow will see the Bombers increase its lead at the top of the ladder to 16 per cent – almost guaranteeing a second consecutive minor premiership for Leitchville/Gunbower.
PREDICTION: Leitchville/Gunbower will win by at least 80 points.
