EDFL round 7 preview

By Ken Moore
THE early season headliner Cora Lynn has had one big test this season, when it played Nyora in round two, and fell short without being disgraced.
This week the Cobras will face their second major exam when they play the undefeated Longwarry.
Cora Lynn’s performance is likely to divulge whether it has made progress and has a realistic chance to play a big role towards the end of the year.
Longwarry has exceeded all expectations and had a moraleboosting, albeit energysapping victory over Catani last week.
Both teams play a runon style of game and, given a dry day, it should be a fast, open and entertaining game.
On last week’s form it’s hard to go past the Crows.
Kooweerup will be out to arrest its form slump when it hosts Buln Buln.
A lot is resting on this game and it could quite easily go either way.
The importance of this game is that, if Kooweerup is to be displaced from the top six, it will most likely be by Buln Buln, so the match is effectively for eight points not four.
Kooweerup still has many of its key position players sidelined; however its recent poor form is partly due to its midfielders, who need to lift.
The Demons are too good a side to drop a third consecutive game and on their home ground they should be able to get its season back on track.
Lang Lang has the unenviable job of travelling to Nyora, a daunting task after it was taken to the cleaners by Bunyip.
Last week Dean Alger has returned to the Saints’ lineup to strengthen their forward line and recent arrival Rory Gilliatte showed he was finding his feet with seven goals to make the Saints an even more potent unit.
After a good display against Nar Nar Goon, Lang Lang was tuned out from the start last week.
On that effort, the best the Tigers can hope for is to put in a respectable showing and try to avoid a second successive 100point loss.
The jury is still out on whether Bunyip is good enough to go beyond the first week of the finals but there is no doubt it has the ability to dispense with lesserperforming teams and thus at home it should comfortably account for NeerimNeerim South.
Its talls Ryan Ablett and Shane Mumford have proved a handful for all rivals so it is hard to see how the ordinarily performed Cats will be able to contain them.
It has been along time since the Cats were nought and five at the start of a season and it should be another comfortable victory for the enigmatic Bulldogs.
Poowong squeezed out a victory last week over Kooweerup but faces a stiff test this week when it ventures to Catani.
The Magpies showed they are capable of being a menace and it will not all be oneway traffic for the Blues.
Catani lacked balance in defence last week and premiership full back Nathan Ruskin is likely to be recalled, which will allow the Blues to move Aaron Alger up field where he can use his speed to break the lines.
Poowong is likely to miss key forward Luke James, who was knocked out cold last week.
Catani should prevail by around 35 points.
After playing its best football for the season last week in accounting for NeerimNeerim South, Nar Nar Goon can enter its home clash with Warragul Industrials with renewed confidence.
Captaincoach Steve Pursell is likely to return from a hamstring injury to bolster the Dusties but I have an inkling the young Goon side will rise to the occasion and grab their third victory of the season.
Ellinbank has mixed its form but is certain to win its third game against the struggling NilmaDarnum, a team that is just too far off the pace.
Bomber captaincoach Adrian Carr and well performed Powelltown recruit Jade Jensen will return to add a bit more nuisance value for the Bankers.