Eliza Wright
After a two-week break, teams are returning to the track preparing to make the most of what is left of the home and away season.
Will Saturday’s game be in thunder, lightning or rain? Let’s take a look and see how teams sit from the top of the table to the bottom of the food chain.
As it stands, the ladder currently sees the minor premiers in Uni Blacks clutching their crown with Beaumaris following closely. Both teams presently sit on 36 points with a healthy percentage from Uni Blacks keeping them in front. So, to the question on everyone’s minds, can the Sharks slay the kings?
Round 12 sees Beaumaris face off against Uni Blacks at Banksia reserve. The last time these two met the Blackers defeated Beauy by 74 points with Uni Blacks taking firm control of the momentum of this game. Beaumaris’ defensive structure is extremely tough to break, proving a great challenge for the Uni Black’s forwards. It is vital the Blackers return to the “team first” brand of footy they displayed earlier this year if they are a chance to bounce back from their round 11 loss.
There’s blood on the hands of Old Haileybury after triumphing over Uni Blacks. This side have been strong contenders all year and will welcome the bye and subsequent 4 points with open arms. Will three weeks off halt their momentum, or will Old Haileybury come back with vengeance in round 13?
Old Haileybury and AJAX both sit on 24 points, making the next few rounds equally pivotal for these sides. The Jackers have continued to develop their brand of footy as the season has progressed, displaying exceptional leadership and have strongly contested some of the top sides. AJAX will head to Brunswick Street Oval to play Fitzroy with hopes to solidify their position in the top 4.
After 11 rounds of footy, Fitzroy have found 5th on 20 points. Fitzroy are known to finish the year off strong and with a tough run home, they will have to cause an upset or two if they are any chance to play finals in September. A relatively inconsistent year from De La Salle has caused them to fall to 6th on the ladder, sharing a score of 12 points with St Bedes/Mentone Tigers.
Their midfield has continued to dominate, setting the tone across the ground however, cohesion amongst the lines has proved a challenge this year. Similarly, SBMT have remained resilient around the grounds, including their notable victory over Old Haileybury in round 5, begging the question as to whether finals are still on the cards?
We certainly can’t discount either of these teams just yet, they may be the Great Birnam Wood on their way to the top.
Looking to the bottom of the table, Williamstown and Old Carey are currently on 8 and 4 points respectively. No doubt it will be interesting to see how these two teams finish off the next few weeks with hopes of clutching a few more wins on the board. With the two sides facing off in round 12, Old Carey will be raring to go, looking to settle the score as Williamstown hope to turn the tide of their season, threatening to climb up the ladder. Only when the battle’s lost and won will we know who will come out on top.
William Buck Premier Men’s leapt back to life with an afternoon of compelling contests across Melbourne. St Bernard’s and University Blues played out the section’s first draw of the season
Here’s a look at some of the Round 9 social media highlights across VAFA grounds in our weekend wrap. There were a couple of goal of the year contenders in
Parkside recorded a comprehensive victory over Coburg, downing them by 116 points. They now sit third with a 211.96 percentage. The Devils managed to kick seventeen goals and keep their
