Football
24 May, 2024
Huge weekend for District Football
Football in round seven shapes up to be a monstrous week for the Horsham District Football Netball League with four games set to be enthralling contests.
Pimpinio have started the season unbeaten and this is their first real test against a polished Noradjuha Quantong outfit at Quantong Recreation Reserve. Matt Rosier missed last week and should be back for the Tigers.
The Bombers will be hoping Damian Cameron can get back on the park, and they will be reeling from dropping the match against Rupanyup last week.
Pimpinio coach Guy Smith said it's an important three weeks for the club.
"We just need to focus on playing four-quarters," he said. "The last few weeks we have put the cue in the rack when we had winnable positions. We are well structured and just need to focus on our gameplay."
The other great match is between second and fourth on the ladder, with Harrow Balmoral hosting Rupanyup at Harrow Reserve.
Rupanyup won last week and is starting to find its groove after dropping their first match of the season, but there is still a lot to improve on.
The Roos struggled last week against Laharum. If you want to see how to beat this formidable team, then watch the replay and see how good Laharum was and how they stopped their potency for most of the match.
The Southern Roos will desperately be hoping Michael Close is right to play and that Brait Headon can pull up. If the Roos are small up forward again like they were last week, Rupanyup's small backline will be licking their lips.
Josh Dawson will get the job on Brayden Ison should Headon not be right.
Roos coach Jai Thompson said every game is going to be tough and it's about heading out there with the right attitude.
"In the first half of the Laharum game, we spoke abut the player's attitudes. We came into the game thinking stuff was going to happen and they were going to roll over," he said.
"They were a lot better than we anticipated and it goes to show that anyone can beat us on the day and we just need to be ready to play our best.
"We will learn from the contest and get better from it and more importantly, prepare better."
Laharum travels to Edenhope to battle a Saints team that will be confident following their loss last week against the Swifts.
They have their full squad back, but finding a way to score against a Demon's backline that has been relentless this year is another story.
The Demons will be reeling from last week and know this is a match they need to win if they are to play finals this year whilst the Saints need a win to stay in the hunt.
Demons co-coach Shannon Argall highlighted that the next two weeks before their bye is vital in the context of the season, so they will be coming out firing.
"The next two weeks are essential for us, not only to consolidate ourselves on the table but also start to separate from everyone and knock on the door of finals," Argall said.
"They have a good midfield and we are making sure we leave no stone unturned."
The match between Kalkee and Taylors Lake at Dock Lake is also set to be a cracker of a match. The Kees will be buoyed from their win last week, even if they still have key injuries.
The Lakers will be treating this match like a final as it's a must-win match for them if they are to see the finals.
The Swifts travel to Natimuk and will hope to put up a better performance this week. Natimuk are fresh from the bye. Natimuk needs to find a way to stop Paul Summers who has already kicked 42 goals for the season and on the current trajectory, could reach 100 by finals.
Kaniva Leeor has the bye.