Battle of the Div 1 alpha’s

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St Mary’s Salesian vs Therry Penola

St Mary’s Salesian will be looking to continue their outstanding three-game winning streak when they host Therry Penola at Ferndale Park. After losing their first four games of the season, the Saints turned it around with wins against PEGS, NOBS and Oakleigh. Thomas McDermott is the one to watch with 15 goals from his five games. As for the Lions, they’ve yet to string two wins together and thus find themselves one spot below the Saints in seventh. Kane O’Halloran has 15 goals and been named in the best four times as they try to straighten up after kicking 5.19 against Kew in Round 7.

PEGS vs Oakleigh

After starting the season with back-to-back victories, the Bombers suffered four straight losses before finally breaking that run in Round 7 against NOBS. With an 18-point loss to the Wellers, three-point loss to the Friars and a 27-point loss to Kew, PEGS have never been blown out of the water and, with a bit of luck, could be one to watch. After defeating Kew in Round 5 and following it up with a valiant 13-point loss to Whitefriars, the Krushers were surprising losers to St Mary’s Salesian in Round 7. In any case, Aaron Cloke has kicked 22 goals and offers headaches for any defender, making this match-up a real 50-50.

Kew vs Old Camberwell

While we missed the blockbuster clash between the Wellers and Friars in Round 8, we can expect the same quality as the top two sides face for alpha status at Victoria Park. The Wellers, led by Riley Verbi and his Pepper Medal-esque form, will be looking to forget about their 16-point loss to the Two Blues by jumping straight back onto the winner’s list. Their inaccurate 8.22 (70) was their only score below 94 this season. The Bears have shared the goals in 2021 with Nathan Sambevski (14), Richard Wilton (14) and Ned Waters (12) giving opposition defenders plenty to think about. It’s the best defence (OC) vs the second-best defence (Kew) so while it might not be a shootout, it should be a close one.

Whitefriars vs Prahran Assumption

The king slaying Two Blues will try to replicate their Round 7 we-beat-the-Wellers form as they take on the in-form Friars. Despite their Round 3 loss to PEGS where they allowed 118 points against, the Two Blues have been a rock defensively with no other score above 78. That may all change when they face Daniel Wood and the Friars forwards after kicking more than 100 points in four of their last five games.

Brunswick FC vs Old Peninsula

While the two top sides are facing off to decide Division 1 alpha status, at the same time, we have the two bottom sides desperate for the four points. NOBS could have won three of their past four games if not for a little bit of luck going their way, with losses by one point, two points and 15. Still without a win, there is no better time for the NOBS boys to snatch victory. After starting the season with a tight loss and 12-point win in Round 2, it’s been a tough run for the Pirates as they haven’t been able to kick more than eight goals since. Coming off an incredibly tough month against the current top four, the break might have done wonders for the Pirates boys as they look to bounce back.