Echuca (6th) v Shepparton (1st)
Echuca’s stay inside the top six may be short-lived, as it faces the unbeaten ladder leader Shepp Bears this weekend.
The Murray Bombers sit sixth, a game clear of Shepparton United and Shepparton Swans. Their percentage, however, is inferior to both those teams and they could drop from 6th to 8th if United is able to beat 3rd-ranked Seymour or the Swans can topple Rochester.
Echuca piled on 72 goals against Benalla, gaining valuable percentage, with Rose Byrne returning to the court in great form. She shot an amazing 59 goals, including 19 in the last quarter, and her team won the 2nd half of the game 35–16.
Echuca did not make a single change in the win, Belinda Lees working with Byrne and the defence of Ash Hare and Lillie Taylor almost impassable. They allowed Benalla just 4 goals in the 2nd term.
Shepparton remains unbeaten with just three home-and-away games remaining, but has neither the best attack (ranked second, behind Euroa) nor defence (ranked third, behind Tatura and Mooroopna).
They know how to win, however, with great flexibility to their line-up. Molly Kennedy started in centre and finished at goal defence, while Caitlin Tuohey and Eliza Bicknell spent the first quarter and a half on the sidelines before coming into the mid-court.
My prediction is for Shepparton to take the win by 17 goals.
Euroa (2nd) v Mooroopna (5th)
It seems a little unfair that Mooroopna has dropped to fifth on the ladder after staying with unbeaten ladder leader Shepparton Bears for three quarters last week.
The Cats have a 10–5 win/loss record, but have another major challenge this week when they face Euroa, a team they ran to within two goals earlier in the season. They are, however, three games clear of sixth-ranked Echuca and in no danger at all of missing the finals.
Against the Bears, the Cats were outstanding defensively and kept the top team to less than 50 goals for the game. They are a team that can match it with the best for three quarters, but have been unable to close out the game when it comes to the crunch.
Ash Lancaster worked with Claudia Platfuss and Genevieve Ogier, but managed only seven goals in the final term after working hard to stay within touch at ¾ time. While the Bears won the game 45–34, the teams were level at quarter time and at the final change the Cats trailed by just four goals. They lost the final term 7–14 after Kim Borger shot 11 final quarter goals and finished with 36 goals for the game.
The Cats get an out-of-form Euroa, which has lost to top team Shepp Bears and third-ranked Seymour in the last three weeks. Euroa was kept to its lowest score of the year, just 35 goals, by Seymour on the weekend.
My prediction is for Mooroopna to take the win by 4 goals.
Rochester (9th) v Shepp Swans (8th)
Shepp Swans faced off against the competition’s best defence last weekend and were unable to break the shackles, managing just 29 goals and falling out of the top six on the back of the loss.
They will be desperate to return to the winners’ circle this weekend and potentially reclaim that spot with a win against the 9th-ranked Rochester team, which is coming off a disappointing loss to Mansfield on the weekend.
It was only Mansfield’s second win of the season, and they now sit above both Kyabram and Benalla on the ladder.
The Swans were outscored by just one goal in the second half of their game against Tatura, but managed only four goals in the second term when Sienna Burke, Jaylah Meda and Chelsea McDonald were all kept quiet by the Bulldogs defenders.
In the second half, Ella Cirillo and Klarindah Huson combined with Kristy Gleeson to keep the Tatura goalers quiet and Kate Betson used her experience to link defence into attack.
Rochester beat Mansfield by four goals when the teams played earlier in the year, but last weekend they managed just eight 1st quarter goals and trailed by 10 at half-time. Despite winning the last quarter by a goal, an 11–5 third term put Mansfield firmly in the driver’s seat and they were 45–30 winners.
My prediction is for the Swans to take the win by 12 goals.
