Photo by Desolve Images
SLIDING DOORS
Palm Beach Currumbin 2nd vs Morningside 3rd @ Stalagmite Oval, 2pm
Palm Beach Currumbin
IF the last time Palm Beach Currumbin lost was in Round One to the Panthers after leading by 14 at the end of the third quarter and not scoring again for the rest of the game…
THEN don’t expect the same result this week. The Lions were missing two thirds of their centre line, Rhys King and Jai Larkins, and were just warming up. Levi Casboult was also held to one goal in Round One but in his seven games since then he has kicked 27, averaging 3.8 goals a game and will be looking for revenge. With seven wins on the trot since, the whole Lions team will be out for revenge, and the battle of the big cats should be the game of the round.
Morningside
IF the Panthers can win this game…
THEN a home qualifying final could be close to locking in. They only play against three current top five sides – the Roos, Sharks and Demons - in the next 10 rounds and the only one that is above them is the Demons, who they play in the final round of the season. Obviously, the others will be a tough task as they lost to Victoria Point by 52 points in Round Three and Demons by 19 the week earlier. However, since those Round Two and Three losses, they have won six in a row with an impressive average winning margin of 96 points! With players like Liam Dawson being in solid form since the beginning of the season and the consistency of Shaquille McLeod and Tristan Hobley, this team should make it a tough matchup for the Lions.
Redland-Victoria Point 5th vs Maroochydore 4th @ Totally Workwear Park, 2pm
Redland-Victoria Point
IF Matt Hammelman is averaging 7.5 goals for the season and is coming off a bye…
THEN who says he can’t do it again. Against top four teams he has not slowed down kicking bags of three, seven and eight against the Demons, Panthers and Lions respectively.
Maroochydore
IF Maroochydore has only beaten one team in the top six through nine rounds…
THEN there is no better chance to prove they can do it against one of the best forward lines in the competition at their home ground. With a boosted, new look side and forward line last week against Labrador where they ran out as 61-point winners, they will be a tough opposition. The big question is, can they keep Matt Hammelmann……quiet?
Coorparoo 11th vs Surfers Paradise 1st @ Giffin Park, 2pm
Coorparoo
IF last week Coorparoo could host Noosa and win by 25 points after being down at halftime…
THEN could they bring that momentum to Giffin Park again against Surfers Paradise and defeat them in what would be a huge upset? They have great young players who have stepped up recently including last week’s rising star winner Ben Morison with three goals, combined with bona fide talent in Jack Wratten and Lachlan Taylor.
Surfers Paradise
IF last weeks score of 170 points against the Magpies is their fourth score over 120 in eight games…
THEN expect this to be another high scoring affair. It was known they had weapons in their forward line (Josh Minogue, Joe Kennedy and Laurence King) but now their midfield is starting to get on the scoreboard in the last couple weeks. With a deep midfield that kicks goals including Cam Ellis – Yolmen, Matt Doran, Harrison Fraser and Benjamin Woodburn’s ability to bob up, there is a lot of offensive firepower that will be hard to stop.
Noosa 8th vs Broadbeach 7th @ Rococo Oval, 1pm
Noosa
IF the last time Noosa played the Cats they lost by nine points after the Cats kicked six goals in the final term…
THEN they shouldn’t be deterred going into this matchup. They were on top in that game in the third quarter and led by 11 going into the fourth. They will be hoping to get this win as they have not won on their home deck since Round Three against the Gorillas and dropped the last two matches where they would have started favourites. But with Billy Shanks, Sam Willoughby, Jai Mure, Archie Shannon and Rhys Free all coming off a strong game last week, they’ll be keen to rectify the win/loss ratio. This game is a must win for their top eight aspirations though. If they lose and Wilston Grange beat Sherwood, they will drop out of the eight.
Broadbeach
IF Broadbeach have had one of the hardest draws to start the QAFL this season and have still managed to go at a 50% win rate (four wins, four losses) …
THEN this is the perfect week to start their charge for a top four position. They play 13th placed Mt Gravatt twice, and 11th and 12th placed Sherwood and Coorparoo once each. Don’t get confused though, these teams are all capable of being very hard to beat, as was seen with Sherwood beating Noosa two weeks back and getting their first win, but if there is ever a time to take advantage of a good fixture, they need to start by winning at Rococo this week.
Wilston Grange 9th vs Sherwood 12th @ Hickey Park, 1:30 pm
Wilston Grange
IF the Gorillas have won three in a row after starting the season with five straight loses…
THEN what’s stopping them from going four in a row? They are playing at home against a 12th placed Magpies and are seriously in the mix for the top eight with a win this week. With young gun Darby Breeden having a great season alongside defensive stalwart Lachlan Zakaras, this game is theirs for the taking.
Sherwood
IF the Magpies are to redeem themselves after last week’s 108-point loss to Surfers Paradise…
THEN there might be another upset on the cards. Two weeks ago they hosted Noosa and caused an upset and got their first win of the season, led by young guns Jacob Edwards, Ethan Duke and the reliable Owen Collins. If that is to happen, those stars, along with the rest of the team, have got to step up and if they do, the Magpies could be celebrating again.
Labrador 6th vs Aspley 10th 2pm @ Cooke-Murphy Oval
Labrador
IF last time they played Aspley was in Round Two in a 37-point win…
THEN they need to beat them again. The only wins they have had since then have been against teams lower than them on the ladder in Wilston Grange and Mt Gravatt, and they just lost to Maroochydore last week by 55-points. If they lose this game, they will be out of the top six and barely holding onto the top eight. But it isn’t all doom and gloom because this team has the talent to beat the Hornets - as they have done earlier this season - and this time the game will be played in front of a home crowd.
Aspley
IF Finbar Delbridge can get 65 hitouts in a match…
THEN the rest of his team need to go along with the energy he provides. He was the bright spark in a disappointing 15-point loss to the Gorillas last week, alongside Lachlan Sherwood and Patrick Coffey. This team has serious young talent as well and Labrador shouldn’t overlook it, so although they might bite like the underdog, these Hornets can sting like a bee.
Bye: Mt Gravatt