Shepp United v Seymour
There was just one goal between these two when they met earlier this year, and the game is one of five this season where the 11th-ranked Demons have finished within three goals or less of their more fancied opposition. Despite their competitive nature and their ability to win plenty of the ball in the midfield and defensively, they have lost the last three games by a combined total of 202 points (83 points to Mansfield, 52 points to Shepp Bears, and 67 points to Kyabram). That last result was a marked improvement on the first time they met the top team, where they were beaten by 116 points and gave up 48 scoring shots. It is the only game this year they have been beaten by 100 points or more. Seymour is coming off a game where they managed just 26 points for the game – and still won! That 26–24 scoreline against Euroa was a season low for the competition, but the Lions have struggled to put big scores on the board all season. They have scored triple figures in only two of their 15 games this year and on four occasions have scored less than 50 points. Good news is one of the major reasons for this lack of firepower will be available this weekend as his Collingwood VFL team has the bye. Riley Mason has played 12 games with the Magpies and kicked 21 goals, but has appeared on just two occasions at GVL level (in Rounds 11 and 13 for an eight-goal return). The Lions’ other two VFL players, Jack Peris and Nic Quigg, both play in the Essendon VFL team and are likely to be unavailable as the Bombers are drawn to face Geelong on Saturday at GMHBA Stadium. Neither player, however, featured in the Bombers’ loss to Sydney on the weekend. Some of the great match-ups in this game will come through the midfield, where ball magnet Jesse Cucinotta and Demons vice-captain Kade Chalcraft will face off against two of the competition’s leading ball winners – Lions coach Jack Murphy and two-way runner Nathan Beattie. Seymour gave up 100 points or more in its first three games of 2025, but since then has only had triple figures scored against it by Kyabram (Round 12) and Mansfield (Round 14). Prediction: Seymour by 31 points
LTTM: Round 5, 2025: Seymour won by 6 points
Mansfield v Kyabram
This is clearly the match of the round, at least at the top end of the table, as Benalla and Tatura face off in one of only two other games in the second half of the split round of matches. It may even be the match of the season if the Eagles are firing on all cylinders. When they met in Round 5, at Kyabram, Mansfield led by a goal at quarter time and were only two points behind the unbeaten ladder leader at half-time. The Bombers kicked away to a nine-point lead in the third term but were headed by the Eagles early in the last before a six-goal-to-three finish gave them a 20-point win. Gus van der Heyden’s role in the ruck for Mansfield will be vital, as the team that wins clearance will have a big edge. In Round 8, the Shepp Bears ran the Bombers to within nine points in a low-scoring game, but the only other close game for the Bombers was a 13-point win against the Swans. On both occasions, they failed to register 100 points, which is something they have done in just one other game. Mansfield’s defensive work will be key to the result, something which shone in the Round 15 draw with Rochester when it was 58 points apiece. Dirk Koenen was among the best players on the ground, but the Eagles also have a midfield which pushes back into defence strongly. Nick Gray, Matthew King and Callum Brown all regularly register large Rebound 50 numbers, supporting Adam Boshevski and swingman Nathan Buchanan. Jake Parkinson is likely to get the job on Billy Hogan (46 goals), but it is at the other end where the Eagles will need to be on point. Kyabram is likely to have Jason Morgan and Mick Mattingly back in its line-up, after Coby McCarthy found form in just his second game of the season. McCarthy kicked three goals in the Bombers’ Round 15 win, adding to the goalkicking exploits of co-captain Aidan Robinson (28), Archie Watt (22), Tom Holman (25), Charlie Barnett (44) and Riley Ironside (45). Prediction: Kyabram by 28 points. LTTM: Round 5, 2025: Kyabram won by 20 points
Benalla v Tatura
It may be third-bottom versus bottom, but this game holds special interest for fans of the Bulldogs as it represents the greatest chance they have of not finishing the season winless. Benalla has the edge on its opponent in the attacking end, where one of the league’s leading goalkickers (Nathan Wright) is just four majors away from registering his half-century. Given the fact the Saints will not feature in the finals, you can be sure Chris Welsh and co. will be looking to feed Wright out of the centre. He is just one goal behind Shepp Bears star Luke Smith in the goalkicking. Benalla, despite being ranked 11th offensively, has still scored twice as many points as the Bulldogs. The Saints have three wins for the year and could improve to 9th (at the expense of Mooroopna) with a win. Tatura has shifted its focus from defending to attempting to win the ball at the contest, moving Curtis Ryan and Michael Archer out of defence and into the middle to work with ruckman Ryan Young at the coalface. Young will be up against it when he confronts Saints big man Mark Marriott, who is (statistically at least) the competition’s leading big man. Ben Darrou, since moving from attack to defence, has been the Bulldogs’ best player. He kicked six goals in the first six rounds but hasn’t kicked once since, as the Tatura team has attempted to stall opposition attacking thrusts. Prediction: Benalla by 43 points
LTTM: Round 5, 2025: Benalla won by 65 points
