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23 June 2021
The entire June 23, 2021 edition of The Weekly Advertiser is available online. READ IT HERE!
By Dean Lawson
Volatile manoeuvring on the edge of the six is part of a Horsham District football shuffle as teams prepare for round-eight action this weekend.
Article continues below
Three teams are gripped in battle for fifth, sixth and seventh spots on the ladder, with plenty hinging on a revamped weekend of action.
This weekend represents a significant point in the season for Harrow-Balmoral, Swifts and Natimuk United if they want to keep pace with the top four.
Swifts and Natimuk United have particularly challenging games ahead, with Swifts trying to bounce back against second-placed Kalkee and the Rams meeting Jeparit-Rainbow.
Harrow-Balmoral’s job might be a little easier, against border-community team Edenhope-Apsley, which was so depleted for players last week that it had to forfeit its reserves.
Swifts have kept fans guessing this year with the Baggies falling more than four goals short of matching Jeparit-Rainbow last week.
The team, which had Ben Leong, Angus Murray and Nick Pickering in good form, meets a Kees outfit fresh from trouncing Edenhope-Apsley by 139 points.
Louis Papst won best-player honours for the Kees, who also had Ben Lawson, Deek Roberts and Jordan Motton all kicking four goals. Natimuk United, meanwhile, is proving a season enigma and travels to Rainbow to take on the Storm after a 66-point win over Laharum.
The Rams had 26 more scoring efforts than the Demons, kicking an incredible 12.28 as Jarred Combe shone with five goals and Mitch Riddell and Jono Lovel starred.
Jeparit-Rainbow’s win over Swifts was important for the northern force that appears likely to threaten strongly at season’s end.
In a low-scoring encounter last outing, Scott Driscoll, Tyler Edelsten and Shane Maslin were the standouts for the Storm and all will need to play well again to quell the unpredictable Rams.
Talk was that Harrow-Balmoral would only get better as the season progressed as players returned from injury. And the Southern Roos might well be starting to show off that potency.
Last week the southwest combine was all over Taylors Lake, running away with a 128-point win, Michael Close and Nick Pekin notable in sharing nine goals between them.
Simon Close also kicked four and William Burbury was a good player.
Jeremy Kealy, George Walker and Cameron Domaschenz worked hard for Edenhope-Aspley last week but the team will need to find something extra to match the Roos.
Noradjuha-Quantong prevailed in a testing top-of-the-table encounter with Rupanyup last week and now meets Kaniva-Leeor United at Quantong.
The Bombers beat the Panthers by 36 points, Jason Kerr, Zac Kelly and Jack Vague shining in a low-scoring affair.
They meet a Cougars team that ran out of steam in a second half against Pimpinio and provided the Tigers with a morale-boosting win.
Chris Bryan still managed to kick seven goals for Kaniva-Leeor United, but is likely to find fewer opportunities against the Bombers.
Rupanyup, at the same time, will hope to bounce back against Laharum and during the week would have explored ways of kicking more goals.
Blake Turner kicked three of the Panthers’ five goals last week as Elliot Kelly, Mitch Gleeson and Paul Trotter led the cause.
Laharum was also light on in goals in its match against the Rams, although ever-consistent Tom Crawford, Shannon Argall and Brett Ervin ensured the Demons stayed in the game.
One of the best contests this round might evolve between Taylors Lake and Pimpinio at Dock Lake Reserve.
Taylors Lake is coming off a hiding while the Tigers are fresh from a win.
