By Mark Gullick
@BT Sub Sport Gaz:BERWICK v KEYSBOROUGH
LIFE doesn’t get any easier for cellar dwellers Keysborough when they travel to Berwick.
Although winless, the Burras have played solid football in patches.
“All three games have been winnable for us,” coach Brad Canavan said. “We go into a hard stretch where we’ve got Berwick away which is going to be outrageously difficult for us, then we’ve got Narre at home, and Pakenham and Cranbourne, so we can either be really competitive and sneak a couple of wins or we can just throw our hands up and give up and be 0-7 in a month’s time.”
Dean Rice has Berwick playing great football, but hasn’t been rewarded with wins.
The Wickers now have a prolonged run of winnable games, which should take them up the ladder.
“The way they’ve done the draw is fairly uneven in regards to the way it’s structured,” he said. “The first three rounds were going to be really hard for us against teams which I thought would be contenders this year and it’s turned out that way. I think the competition’s pretty even and every game’s going to be tough.”
@BT Sub Sport Gaz:NARRE WARREN v PAKENHAM
WINLESS after three rounds, this match at Kalora Park shapes as a crucial one for Narre Warren.
The Magpies have failed against other contenders – Berwick and Cranbourne – and need to notch a win against fellow premiership aspirant Pakenham.
“To beat Berwick by five goals, (Pakenham) are obviously a very good side,” Narre Warren coach Chris Toner said. “We just need to play and get our first win. Once we get our first win, then we’ll be away.”
Pakenham has begun the year inconsistently and coach Michael Holland is prepared for another tough contest.
“They’ve been the benchmark for four or five years now, so it’s another test for the boys,” he said. “We’re going to be playing on a smaller ground, we’ve got to change our minds to a certain degree. I’m sure they’ll be pretty keen to bounce back after what happened against Cranbourne.”
@BT Sub Sport Gaz:ROC v BEACONSFIELD
ROC will charge into its clash with neighbours Beaconsfield full of confidence after two impressive wins.
On the back of an array of talented youngsters and heady veterans, the Kangaroos have shown plenty of pluck to fight back from perilous positions to record victories.
Beaconsfield was thrashing Tooradin-Dalmore convincingly before the game was cancelled, which suggests that the Eagles are far from the spent force that most onlookers around the league believe.
A highlight of this clash will be the youngsters pitting their talents against each other.
ROC’s Travis Woodfield, Matthew Clarke, James Canty and Matthew Rogers and Beaconsfield’s Daniel Johnston, Ben McGowan, Michael McPhie and Jayden Gee are players of the future and will be on show in this contest.
@BT Sub Sport Gaz:DOVETON v DEVON MEADOWS
THE rivalry between Doveton and Devon Meadows was at fever pitch last year after several players swapped clubs during the off-season.
While that antagonism has now tapered, a physical clash should be expected at Robinson Oval.
“It’s really shaping as an even competition,” Doveton coach Mark Ladgrove said. “To look at the scores, I think every side’s going to have to be on the ball, week by week.”
The Doves have an eye on the finals and have began the season in solid form.
While Devon Meadows are rebuilding, they have the ability to play good football.
However, consistency is the primary issue for the Panthers and if they want to knock off Doveton, they need a four-quarter effort.
@BT Sub Sport Gaz:TOORADIN-DALMORE v HAMPTON PARK
AFTER a disappointing showing at Beaconsfield, Tooradin-Dalmore need to bounce back against the undefeated Hampton Park.
“If you go off the results where Hampton Park beat Beacy pretty convincingly, we’re definitely going to have our hands full playing them,” coach Beau Miller said. “They’ve obviously got some good players that we need to keep an eye on. We’ll see if our boys are up for the challenge and whether they want to put in the work on the track this week to get a result.”
Hampton Park has cruised through the opening weeks, but like most teams, has had a stop-start season.
“It’s been hard – week on, week off, week on, week off – so it will be interesting to see how the boys come up after all that,” Hampton Park coach Clint Evans said. “Hopefully they’ll be fresh and ready to go. We’re going to have to be on our game.”
@BT Sub Sport Gaz:ROUND 4 TIPS:
Berwick v Keysborough
Narre Warren v Pakenham
ROC v Beaconsfield
Doveton v Devon Meadows
Tooradin-Dalmore v Hampton Park
