Echuca v Rochester
A week after facing the unbeaten ladder leader, the Tigers come up against an Echuca team which is on a five-game winning streak and sits second on the ladder.
Echuca went into its game against Seymour without young sensation Cody Walker, who was back with the Pioneers in the Coates Talent League, and was also missing Cam Valentine. Valentine, who withdrew from the game with illness, had stepped up in the absence of several key forwards and kicked eight goals in the last three weeks.
In their absence, Hugh Byrne stepped up and was the most productive forward on the ground, although he did do his share of ruck work as Lachlan Watson’s return from injury was short-lived and Liam Tenace carried the bulk of the rucking duties.
Echuca, despite having a plethora of stars on the sidelines, keeps finding a way to win and, despite not winning any favours from the umpires, sits second with just one loss from the opening 11 rounds of the season.
Against Seymour last weekend, they had 17 fewer free kicks and sit dead last in this category. Their opponent this weekend has won the third-most free kicks but lost the count on the weekend by six.
Game time: 2pm Saturday, at Victoria Park, Echuca
Prediction: Echuca by 25 points
Seymour v Kyabram
Seymour’s poor percentage saw it drop outside the top six on the weekend, despite having played one more game than fifth-ranked Mansfield and sixth-ranked Shepparton.
The Lions had a 5–5 win/loss record, but in the last month have had scores of 39, 54, 56, 40 and (in their only win of the last five weeks) 69 — a 16-point win against Shepparton.
Seymour’s ruck duo of first-year player Jesse Brock and experienced Seamus Feery will come up against the best ruck pairing in the competition — Kyabram co-captains Zac Norris and Aidan Robinson.
Robinson has 21 goals for the season now (14 in the last four weeks), and Norris had 45 hit outs, 11 clearances, 4 inside 50s, and 230 disposals against the second-ranked team.
Mick Mattingly’s 7-tackle, 7-inside-50, 29-disposal game may not have been his best statistically, but he was rated right up there with teenage sensation Archie Watts’ 162 ranking-point game. The goal-kicking midfielder kicked 2.3, had 29 touches, and 8 clearances.
Game time: 2pm Saturday, at King’s Park, Seymour
Prediction: Kyabram by 51 points
Livestream: Seymour FM
Benalla v Shepp Swans
Coming off back-to-back wins for the first time this season, the Benalla Saints will be full of confidence against the Shepparton Swans, who has lost its last four games.
The Swans won the R7 game with Shepp United by 58 points, but since then have lost by 17 points to Echuca, 19 to Mansfield, 13 to Kyabram, and by 12 to Shepparton. All losses were to fellow top six teams, after they beat only one team above them on the ladder (Rochester by nine points).
After five 100-point-plus scores to start the season, they have not registered triple figures for the last month. The good news is that the Swans face only one team in the top six in the next five games.
Benalla’s efficiency in attack was on full display against Shepp United last weekend, scoring 25 times from less than 50 entries inside 50. They also took 18 marks inside 50, thanks to Nathan Wright and Jarrad Waite, with Wright making it 35 goals for the season with another three on the weekend.
Luke Davies and Zac Clohesy will need to be at their rebounding best if Mark Marriott (whose battle with Mark Kovacevic will be worth the price of admission alone) and Chris Welsh can get on top of Oliver Warburton, Nathan Hrovat, and Zac Alderton in the centre.
Davies and Clohesy took four intercept marks last week, which is fewer than the league’s best intercept-marking player — Benalla’s Nick Warnock. He even pushed forward to kick his second goal of the season last week after starting the year in attack.
Game time: 2pm Saturday, at Benalla Showgrounds
Prediction: Shepp Swans by 33 points
Euroa v Shepp United
This game looms as one of the more interesting contests, despite the teams sitting ninth and 11th on the ladder.
A fortnight ago, the Magpies led Mansfield by 18 points at quarter time and, despite giving up six goals in the second term, were still three points up at the final change.
They are coming off a bye after that competitive display, much needed after star forward and captain Jett Trotter finished the game with ice on his knee on the interchange bench.
United co-coach Cucinotta had a season-high 44 touches in R9 and does his work at both ends (62 inside 50s and 33 rebound 50s for the season).
The Demons had two first-gamers in the last round, Favian Calandro and Zane Chalcraft, both making their senior debuts. Despite winning just one game, the Demons have kept seven opponents to under 100 points this season.
Game time: 2pm Saturday, at Memorial Oval, Euroa
Prediction: Euroa by 7 points
Mooroopna v Mansfield
Mooroopna has shown marked improvement after losing its first five games of the season and now sits eighth on the ladder as one of three teams with a 3-win/8-loss record for 2025.
The Cats have won three of their last six games, with disappointing defeats in what they would have considered winnable games against Euroa (27 points) and Benalla (22 points). In the next four weeks, they face four of the top six teams.
Star of the opening two months, Jack Johnston, has been with VFL club Port Melbourne for the last four weeks, and his absence has forced a reset for the team.
Last week, everything clicked—albeit against the struggling Tatura team—with Kai Madgwick creating a season highlight with his 53-disposal game. He has gone past 40 disposals on three other occasions this year and has a 37-disposal average for the season.
Mansfield is expecting to have intercept-marking star Dirk Koenen and ferocious on-baller Nick Gray back this weekend. Against Euroa, before their bye, Adam Boshevski stepped up in Koenen’s absence and took six intercept marks to go with 18 disposals.
Despite being closely tagged, Matt King still had 33 disposals (he has passed 30 touches in every game this season) and forms a strong unit with Gray and Callum Brown (averaging 30.4 touches).
Game time: 2pm Saturday, Mooroopna Recreation Reserve
Prediction: Mansfield by 41 points
Livestream: ONE FM
Tatura v Shepparton
Shepparton Bears returned to the winners’ list last weekend and snatched back a place inside the top six with a win against Shepparton Swans last week.
It was the Bears’ first taste of success since R4 and came after they kicked nine goals to two after half-time and overcame a 19-point quarter-time deficit to win by two goals.
The Bears managed just two points against the Swans in the first quarter and still trailed by 28 points at half-time. They had 12 scoring shots in the third term, kicking 6.6, and went on to stop a five-week losing streak where they were beaten by 2nd ranked Echuca, 5th placed Mansfield, Seymour (now 7th), top team Kyabram, and now 3rd ranked Rochester.
It was a particularly tough draw for last year’s runner-up, who now face up to the bottom team at the start of a five-week run that pits them against teams all sitting outside the top six.
The Bulldogs have had four games this year where they have failed to kick four goals and face a Bears defence led by Jonty Wardle and Mitch Brett, the latter of whom had 10 rebound 50s and 35 disposals last week.
Luke Smith’s season continues to simmer on the stove, his latest game producing another 30 and three performance – 30 disposals and 3.4. Smith has registered 100 points or more in every game this year.
Tatura will be relying on its three leading rebound 50 players to stem the tide – Curtis Ryan the leader of that pack, who last week also had 7 clearances and 3 inside 50s.
Game time: 2pm Saturday, at Tatura Park
Prediction: Shepp Bears by 131 points
