Photo by B.Rad Sports Photography
It is now Round 11 in the TPIL Lawyers QAFL and there are some great games to look forward to including the top end battles for first, second and third place.
Palm Beach Currumbin 3rd vs Surfers Paradise 1st @ Stalagmite Oval, 2pm
What happened last week, and last time they played
Last week Palm Beach lost to Morningside in a close four-point game after leading by nine at the end of the third quarter. They will be looking to rebound and potentially take second place with a win. Surfers Paradise are coming into this game after beating Coorparoo by 60-points and extending their winning streak to nine in a row and being the only team in the competition undefeated. The last time they played was in the preliminary final where the Demons got the chocolates in a 34-point win.
How the Lions Win
They have to get on top in the midfield. Benjamin Woodburn and Matt Doran have been dominant all year alongside Cam Ellis-Yolmen. The Demons are the second ranked clearance team in the competition and the Lions are eighth which is low considering where they are on the ladder. Tom Simpson (absent this week) leads the league in total clearances, but it will be his teammates, specifically Ty Fitzgerald and Rhys King who will need to be up to the task in this area. Levi Casboult will need to continue his physical dominance in the forward line alongside Cory Beaman and Liam O’Brien and down back, Ethan Sekac & the returning Sam Graham will need to control the air against Josh Minogue and Laurence King who both average over three marks inside 50 per game - Jack Exell will be called upon to set up the rebounding play.
How the Demons Win
The midfield is where they dominate so Ben Woodburn will need to continue his clearance dominance alongside prolific ball winners Doran and Ellis-Yolmen. But stopping the Lions forward line will be the biggest task with Casboult, Beaman and O’Brien having excellent seasons and the Lions being the number one ranked offence in the league. Surfers may be a little undersized in this space this week but Alby Jones and Samuel Jewell can be up to the task to stop those three while up forward the Demons have some weapons of their own. Minogue and L.King will be looking to have big games up forward to combat offence with offence alongside Harrison Fraser and Joe Kennedy. This game should be a shootout.
Morningside 2nd vs Redland Victoria Point 5th @ Jack Esplen Oval, 2pm
What happened last week, and last time they played
Last week, Morningside upset the Lions for the second time this year in a four-point win on the Lions home deck, putting them into second spot. Panthers forward Jake Howson also received a rising star nomination with his four goal and seven mark performance which helped get them over the line. For Redland Victoria Point, they will be looking to continue their three game winning streak after an 11-point win over the Maroochydore Roos. The last time they played was in Round Three where the Sharks ran out 52-point winners.
How the Panthers Win
The Panthers have the second best offence in the league and will be looking to out shoot the Sharks. However, the Sharks have Matt Hammelmann so that might be a bit of a challenge. They will also need to step up their clearance game with the Panthers being the sixth best in the league compared to the Sharks who are first. They will be looking to gun midfielder Tristan Hobley alongside Garrett Mcdonagh and Kai Purslow to control the middle of the ground against the Sharks elite midfield. However, the Panthers are the second-best contested ball team in the competition so if they are getting their hands on the ball first, then that should correlate to more clearances and more territory gained. In defence Jack Melican, Max Nelson and Liam Dawson will need to quell Hammelmann to give themselves a chance to win.
How the Sharks Win
It’s their midfield. The clearance dominance that the Sharks have showcased this season is the best in the league led by Campbell Aston and Scott Miller who are both averaging over three centre clearances a game (with help from Craig Malone) which is absolutely wild. Up forward they have known weapons like Hammelmann as well as Joshua Brown and Clay Cameron who are both handy for a goal. Down back Jett Jessen and ex-Lion James Madden will be trying to shut down the Panthers offence with Madden providing the run and dash that will help set up their attack. It should be a close game and one that the Sharks will give themselves every chance of winning especially after winning earlier in the year.
For the rest of the round sixth placed Labrador take on seventh placed Noosa at Cooke-Murphy Oval at 1pm in the battle of the Tigers. Last week, Labrador beat the Hornets by 51-points at home, snapping their three game losing streak. For Noosa, they also snapped a three game losing streak, beating the Cats in a three-point thriller at home. The last time they played was in Round 10 last year where Labrador won by 12-points, so we can expect it will be a fairly even match and a good contest again.
The fourth placed Maroochydore Roos take on the ninth placed Wilston Grange Gorillas at 2pm at Neil Upton Oval. With both teams coming off 11-point and 34-point losses to the Sharks and Magpies respectively, both teams will be looking to get back on the winners list, especially the Roos who could drop out of the top four with a loss this week. Conversely, a win embeds them with top-4 credentials.
The 10th placed Aspley Hornets take on the 11th placed Coorparoo Kings at Automall Aspley Oval at 2pm in a very intriguing battle. With both teams coming off a loss, both will be fighting for a win and whoever wins this game will be one step closer to chasing a top eight berth. This will be a very close game as the teams are one place apart on the ladder and both trusting youth and development to rise up the ladder.
The eighth placed Broadbeach Cats will be taking on the 13th placed Mt. Gravatt Vultures at Neptune Homes Oval at 2pm in a danger game for the Cats. Coming off a bye, Mt. Gravatt will be refreshed and ready to rumble and log their second win for the season, while the Cats will be looking to redeem themselves at home after a close 3-point loss to Noosa last week. This is a must win for the Cats if they are to remain as a threat and stay on track for a top eight finish.
Finally, the 12th placed Sherwood Magpies have the bye.