Football
29 May, 2026
Kees ready for Southern Roos
After recording their fourth win of the season in round seven, Kalkee’s senior football side face one of their biggest challenges yet as they host Harrow Balmoral in round eight on Saturday May 30.
Following losses to Kaniva Leeor and Noradjuha Quantong, Kalkee bounced back with a hard-fought 81-66 win over Stawell last weekend.
Saying every game they’d played this year had been tough, Kees coach Clint Burdett said his side could put the pressure on the reigning premiers if they played at their best.
“Honestly, every game we've played so far has been a real challenge,” Burdett said.
“Harrow’s obviously proven themselves over the last decade that they're a very good side, and they're still a good side.
“We'll have to be on our game to match them.
“We'll potentially have a couple out again but we'll give it our best.”
Among the key outs for Kalkee is ruckman Doug Grining, but the side welcomed back key forward Tanner Smith for last week’s win.
Having gone up against another strong tall forward in Jack Fenner during he side’s 94-79 win over Laharum, Harrow Balmoral coach Jai Thompson said the team would be well prepared as they tried and nullify Smith’s impact.
“We obviously had a bit of a preview going against Jack Fenner so we probably get the next best test in Tanner Smith this week,” he said.
“It’s another great chance for our defence to continue to work on things, and Tanner’s probably one where we may get a bit of help in defence across the backline.
“Whether we play Michael Close back is certainly an option we can try.”
The Southern Roos coach said he was keen for the matchup against an improved Kalkee outfit, saying it boded well for the team later in the year.
“They’ve got some good talent,” Thompson said.
“Jye Walter is another good forward they have; he hasn’t kicked many goals this year but I’m sure he’ll find form, so he’s another target for them.
“They’ve obviously got some good midfielders and backs as well so it will be another good challenge for us.
“We can set our season up the more wins we can get, but these types of games also show where you’re at early on and what things you need to fix, which is great.”