KERANG premiership captain, Ryan Gillingham and fellow midfielder, Marty Kelly will be two key inclusions for the Blues in tomorrow’s second semi-final against Woorinen.
The five-time defending premiers will aim to qualify for a 10th consecutive grand final, whilst the Tigers can progress to their first decider since 2012 if it can break a run of three losses and a draw against the Blues.
Kerang goes into the game on the back of a 14-day break after claiming the minor premiership – a feat the club has achieved now for six consecutive seasons – whilst Woorinen qualified for the second semi-final thanks to a 68-point qualifying final win against the Mallee Eagles.
“Although we had the break, we trained pretty hard during a session last Saturday,” Blues coach, Travis Matheson said.
“We also made sure that some players freshened up to be ready for Saturday’s match.”
Gillingham and Kelly did not play in the Blues’ final match of the home and away season, with the pair to link up with fellow playmakers, Troy Coates and Brad Pay to lead the Blues’ charge against the likes of Jason Iannucci, Aaron Cadd and Jye Barry.
“We’re going to back our midfielders to get the job done this weekend,” Matheson said.
Kerang holds a 2-0 record against the Tigers this season, producing a 14-point win in round one and a 21-point victory in round 12.
Although the July 8 encounter was cut short due to an injury to Woorinen midfielder, Corey Kelly, the fact the Blues kept the Tigers scoreless in the opening term and to one goal by half-time is evidence the club has the game plan that can claim a sixth consecutive premiership.
Patrick Taban, Jack Deviny and Brandon Hayes have all been pivotal in ensuring Kerang’s defensive skills are the benchmark of the competition, and the trio will need to be at their best tomorrow to stop Woorinen scoring targets Doug Palmer, Doug Beams and Victor Siciliano.
“Woorinen’s strength is its ability to kick goals, so we will put some effort into stopping this,” Matheson said.
“It will be a very tough encounter as both sides match up evenly, and although we won twice this year, there is more pressure in September.”
Meanwhile, the Blues’ ability to produce multiple goalkicking options – highlighted by the presence of Scott Lockwood, Troy Thamm, Luke Cotchett and Matheson – will be too much for Woorinen’s defenders, headed up by Kane Donnan and Kyle Steicke.
PREDICTION: Kerang will progress to a 10th consecutive grand final with a 30-point victory.
Eagles favourites to proceed
THE Mallee Eagles will look to record a third win against Swan Hill this season on Sunday and keep its Central Murray Football Netball League premiership hopes alive.
The Eagles and Swans will meet in Sunday’s first semi-final at the Swan Hill Showgrounds, with the winner to advance to September 9’s preliminary final at Cohuna.
Dean Helmers’ team will look to bounce back from a 68-point qualifying final loss to Woorinen six days ago, with Matthew Wade’s side brimming with confidence following a 13-point elimination final win against Nyah-Nyah West United last Sunday.
The Eagles – who are looking for their second preliminary final appearance in three seasons – have defeated the Swans on each occasion the sides have met in 2017.
The Lalbert-based team left with a 15-point win during its last visit to Swan Hill in mid-May, with the margin being 19 points when the teams last met in mid-August.
Caine Hillier and Angus McKenzie stood out for the Eagles in last weekend’s loss, and both players will be critical to the outcome of Sunday’s match.
Thomas Corridan – who held Alex Erlandson to one goal last weekend – will be Wade’s first choice to take on Hillier, but Andrew McDonald and Corey Viani could step up if given the ability to.
McKenzie’s ruck work against Declan Foott will be critical to the Eagles’ hopes, but if Mitchell Makepeace, Xavier Moloney and Matt Wade put in similar performances to what occurred five days ago, the Swans could feature in the club’s first preliminary final since 2014.
PREDICTION: The Mallee Eagles will hold on for a 10-point win.
