Football

BRANXHOLME-WALLACEDALE and Cavendish will break out into a football match while the Eddie Betts show occurs at Branxholme tomorrow with both South West District Football Netball League (SWDFNL) clubs desperate to record victory for vastly different reasons.

At present Cavendish sit fifth on the ladder with Branxholme-Wallacedale right behind in sixth, but there is a four-point gap between them, so victory will mean so much more to both.

The addition of Betts playing for the home side will boost the coffers of the Branxholme-Wallacedale club with a finals-sized crowd expected.

The former Carlton and Adelaide player will no doubt help the Saints, but they have to ensure he is delivered the ball in a fashion where he can ensure he contributes to the team.

The Saints are coming off a 214-point thrashing of Westerns last week where full forward, Kieran Barker, recorded the first double figure goal return for the competition this season, booting 10 majors.

The teams must regard the match as just another game to win if their respective team is going to play finals in 10 weeks’ time.

Branxholme-Wallacedale coach, Leigh Ewing said he is treating it as normal as possible.

“Nothing much changes to be honest, as I’ve said to the boys, as exciting as it is with having Eddie in, he won’t win the game for us, so we just keep doing the things we are doing and he is a bonus.

“I think we have been looking forward to this game for a while

“It is a massive game not just for us but the football club.

“They do a hell of a lot of work just so we can get a game each week and we have shown that our best football is good enough against the top sides, so we will have to be at our best again against Cavendish and we will find out Sunday where we are at.”

For Cavendish coach, Clinton Thomas, it is a bit of déjà vu.

The opportunity to coach against a team with an ex-AFL player is something Thomas felt he had done before.

“When I first started at coaching at Cavendish, the Heathmere coach (and current Heywood coach), Leon Davis, was a similar age to Eddie and presented many of the similar challenges we're expecting to see from Eddie Betts,” he said.

“Both players are incredibly elusive with the ability to contest, win and score from just about anywhere up forward.

It's not often we get to see a player of that calibre compete in country football and it's a challenge that all of the boys and myself are really looking forward to.”

While Thomas didn’t give away his game plan to negate the influence of Betts, he did say that minimizing the number of inside 50s for the Saints was critical.

“In terms of negating Eddie's influence, naturally it's going to be very important to get the back six match-ups correct,” he said.

“That said, we also see limiting their forward 50 entries as being just as, or possibly even more important to achieving this.”

The Bloods are not expected to have their best defender, Adrian Burn, available for a while yet due to injury, so the rest of the backs will have to step up and negate the home side’s forwards who booted 33 goals last weekend.

 “With a very injury and COVID-interrupted season, there are certain games that carry a little bit more weight than others and this is one of them,” Thomas said.

“We're under no illusion that this is an eight-point game, however we've got a game plan that is continuing to develop and we're expecting will help us push deep into the season, so this will be our focus for the match.”

Heywood v Coleraine

THE draw Heywood has been handed at present is not easy, as the Lions host Coleraine today.

Currently sitting in fourth place on percentage, Heywood has the same number of victories as third-placed Tyrendarra and second-placed Dartmoor.

All three teams are two wins behind the undefeated Coleraine, and this is the first time the Lions have played the Maroons this season, giving the home side the opportunity to stamp some authority on the competition.

All other teams this season have found Coleraine is a side that can be matched. but most have seen the Maroons run over the top of their opponents.

Discipline is the key to unlocking victory against the Maroons and Heywood has the players who can maintain the discipline required.

Heathmere v Tyrendarra

HEATHMERE hosts Tyrendarra and the Meres must be aching for a maiden victory this season.

Tyrendarra of course is highly fancied to take the points in this match with goal sneak Jordi Withers adding another four goals to his season tally last weekend to be named as best on ground against Heywood.

The youngster must be tagged closely otherwise he will roam across the forward line and take the game away from the Meres.

With Luke Evans driving the ball long upfield from the backline for the Darras, he is another player who must be negated.

Keeping the ball in the forward line will allow the Meres to post a score that will test the visitors, but Luke Driscoll, Kyall Anson and Cooper Anson will have to be at their very best again this week to feed that forward line, as they have all season long.

Dartmoor v Westerns

DARTMOOR is at home against Westerns and both teams are coming off losses last round and need to find their winning ways again.

The Giants will be happy they are at home and will be looking to put into practice all they learnt against Coleraine last weekend, while Westerns came back to earth after their victory over Heathmere.

After being outclassed by 214 points, Westerns must regroup quickly if they are to match the second-placed Giants, while Dartmoor may well play a more open game after their tight tussle last weekend.

Netball

IMPORTANT games await the teams of the South West District Football Netball League, as round seven gets underway today with a number of scenarios playing out depending on results.

Ladder leader, Tyrendarra, has a bye this week and the squad can put their feet up and rest while all other teams battle it out to try and catch the leaders.

Cavendish and Branxholme-Wallacedale have the luxury of seeing the results from the rest of the games on Saturday before they play on Sunday in a move to accommodate the football game.

While the Saints are yet to taste success this season, their time will come as they battle to gain ground on the rest of the competition with each passing game.

The side has only been defeated badly in the first round when the team had yet to bond as a unit and Branxholme-Wallacedale coach, Georgia Muldoon, has been getting her squad to play as a unit and the results are starting to eventuate.

Tara Meade, Amy Pepper and Alice Keatley are in good form and have been the Saints’ best for a number of games.

They need the team to follow their lead and that of Muldoon in playing clean, precise netball all over the court if they are to defeat the Bloods.

Cavendish coach, Marni Luhrs, has seen the team build slowly this season with Carley Behncke partnering her in goal, while the inclusion of Chloe Lewis, Peta Grant and Taieri Grant in defence has caused their opponents to turn the ball over often.

The Bloods are short-priced favourites but long shots should not be discounted and the Saints will want to celebrate victory on what will be a big day for the club.

Dartmoor v Westerns

WHEN two teams meet to decide second spot on the ladder, you know it will be a great game.

Dartmoor will be looking to defeat Westerns and add another notch to its belt.

Only defeated by Cavendish in round one when both teams were suffering player shortfall due to injuries and COVID, Dartmoor has been buoyed by the news that Danielle Vankalken should be available for the rest of the season after moving to the district for work.

She will join her sisters Zoe and Bec, as the Giants field a strong on court unit that must be seen as one of the favourites for the premiership.

Giants coach, Elise Haw, has built a strong squad of experienced players.

Like the hosts, Westerns has lost only once to date this season and this young group of women has formed a very good team that has taken on and defeated the best on offer.

Now they will face possibly the toughest test in the competition - the Giants on their home court.

Turnover ball will be vital for both teams, as their defensive and midcourt players have been in great form already this season, stopping opposition attacking raids before the shooters get their hands on the ball.

This is going to be one of those games that can define a season for each team.

Heywood v Coleraine

HEYWOOD and Coleraine are battling each other for fifth place on the ladder and this match will go a long way towards deciding which team will likely claim the final spot in the finals, as the Maroons make the road trip to Lions territory.

Each team has only tasted victory once this season, but there are still 10 rounds remaining in the competition for each to lift themselves up the ladder.

Saturday could be seen as an eight-point game where the victor will gain that gap on the ladder that the loser may not make up until the next time.

The Maroons found they can stay with the top sides, matching Dartmoor last round for the last three quarters.

It was just that vital first quarter where the side failed to score until the last two minutes of the stanza that meant the team was playing catch-up netball for the remainder of the game.

Likewise, Heywood has also proven they can match up well to the more fancied teams, as showed against Westerns when they fell short of gaining the result despite posting 45 goals.

Jessica Lovett Murray has given her team drive from wherever she is playing, allowing Shakira Stuchbery to showcase her skills up front.

Heywood will be desperate to secure that gap on the ladder from Coleraine and with home court advantage they just may do so.