Division 2 Preview

Anna Pavlou

A do-or-die for St Johns, with Yarra Old Grammarians in prime position to hold on to fourth place. On a dry day, the Bushrangers are trusty in front of goal and are hard to follow and shut down out of the middle. St Johns will play a hard-contested game, which will be interesting to watch, to see whose game plan prevails. Yarra are pushing for a big win to boost their percentage and stray further from MHSOB, while St Johns need this win if they want to live another day in Division 2.

The Old Paradians v UHS-VU game is shaping up to be a true taste of finals footy with the top two sides facing off in a battle on Raiders territory. May be a great time to test out tactics and game plays in preparation for finals in a few weeks. The Uni High Boys are in fine form while the Raiders are eager to bounce back after their shock first loss of the season last week. The only loss for the Vultures this season came when they went down to the Raiders earlier this year, so they are ready to make amends. This is a potential grand final clash.

After dropping serious percentage when they lost to UHS-VU last week, MHSOB must find strength within to take down a fighting Emmaus side, teetering on the edge of relegation. The Animals have the guts, but they’ll need to string together a four-quarter performance to take the four points they’re searching for. MHSOB would be devastated after their disappointing loss last week and want to redeem themselves. The Unicorns must win the last three games to have any chance of pushing for the final four, so they’ll need to use their pace and their multi-facetted forward line to take the win.

Whitefriars are looming as a dark horse, so don’t write them off as a premiership contention anytime soon. Their best football is as good as anybody’s, however, Power House’s form in the recent weeks has been much improved and on their smaller home deck, they are capable of causing an upset. Watch for the battle of the forwards, with Whitefriars Nitas taking on the Power House back line.

Eltham’s fate is almost sealed unfortunately for season 2018, and they’ll need a miracle and three wins to save themselves from the dreaded drop. It all starts this week when they take on fellow strugglers Bulleen. The Turtles form in recent weeks has been much improved, coming close on a couple of occasions, so it’s all or nothing with an opportunity to notch their second victory and see the daylight at the end of the tunnel. The Bullants are disappointed after last week’s close loss and will be ready to grab the four points they desperately need to stay alive