Match of the season as local neighbours as Modbury and Golden Grove lock horns in the derby. Who will become the premiership favourites?
By Ben Lennon

Westminster OS 13.9 87 def CBC Old Collegians 7.18 60

It was a second quarter blitz from Westminster that saw them grab a hold of the game and eventually claim the win against an inaccurate CBC. Westminster trailed at the first break but went into half-time comfortably ahead after CBC managed only two points in the second quarter compared to the home sides five goals. The Dolphins had three more scoring shots than the home side but lost the game by a comfortable margin of 27 points. Jake Johansen and Tom Pickering kicked two goals each and Raymond claimed best on ground honours, but home ground advantage and accurate kicking saw Westminster come out on top. The Dragons had three players kicking three goals each, Bonutto, Kenny and Fielke. Of those, Fielke was most influential, claiming the best on ground votes for the second game running in an impressive performance. Neither team will be playing finals football but Westminster now find themselves with a respectable 2-4 record whereas CBC slip to one win in their seven games.

Golden Grove 18.15 123 def Edwardstown 5.5 35

Edwardstowns inconsistent form reared its head again this week as they were battered by top of the table Golden Grove. The Townies have struggled to hold form throughout the year. At their best they have looked like a top team but although many wouldn’t expect them to beat Golden Grove, few would have predicted a near 90 point belting. Thomas “Taco Tuesday” Tacono was back in the goals, racking up another back of four whilst Ingram extended his wild run of form with another best on ground showing.  Michael Walters also managed to bag himself four goals for Grove who remain undefeated so far this season. Edwardstown had five individual goalkickers and Rosenzweig was judged best afield for the travelling side who now find themselves in a predicament. Edwardstown remain in the top four but all teams around them have now had their bye, meaning they all have a game in hand on Edwardstown. Flinders Park are one win behind Edwardstown but run into Plympton and CBC in the final two rounds which should both be wins. This makes next week colossal for Edwardstowns finals hopes, they need to beat Westminster to give themselves a big chance of making the five. 

Gaza 10.9 69 def by Modbury 13.12 90

Modbury solidified their spot in second place this week by taking care of business at Gaza, running out 21 point victors. Philips and Allard kicked three each for the hawks and Lauder was the only multiple goalscorer for the home side who now find themselves in sixth position and out of a finals spot. Lauder also claimed best on ground for Gaza, followed by Heintze and Todd Culley who has managed to find himself in the best players three weeks running. Gaza now have an even record of 3-3 and now find themselves in a three horse race with two spots on the line. They are equal on points with Flinders Park and two points behind Edwardstown. If Gaza can pull out a win next round against North Haven then they will go a long way to guaranteeing themselves finals football. Modbury won’t miss finals a home side, it was another disappointing result. Jake Seadon kicked his first two goals of his season and Williams was awarded best on ground. With no threat of relegation, Plympton still have a major role to play in how this season shakes out. They face Flinders Park next Week and Gaza the following week, two teams vying for fourth and fifth on the ladder. A win in either of those can and will change the layout of the finals. 

%3th a massive 94 point victory over bottom of the table Plympton. It was a game that North Haven expected to win but their form has been wavering of late so this one will no doubt be a massive confidence boost. They still didn’t kick straight, amassing 20 behinds from their 38 scoring shots, however it mattered not as they dealt the dogs their sixth loss of the season. Mark Rowe kicked five goals for the visitors and claimed the best on ground honours while McCafferty helped himself to four majors. For the home side, it was another disappointing result. Jake Seadon kicked his first two goals of his season and Williams was awarded best on ground. With no threat of relegation, Plympton still have a major role to play in how this season shakes out. They face Flinders Park next Week and Gaza the following week, two teams vying for fourth and fifth on the ladder. A win in either of those can and will change the layout of the finals. 

Edwardstown vs Westminster OS

Make no mistake, if Edwardstown lose this they may find themselves outside of the top five come finals time. Flinders Park and Gaza are a win behind Edwardstown, but both have a game in hand as the Townies will play their last regular season game this Saturday against Westminster. With the bye in the last round, this is their last chance to get points on the board and solidify a finals appearance. Against Westminster, they should be able to do so, although the Dragons claimed their second scalp of the years, knocking off CBC last week. They will have confidence going into this one but ultimately Edwardstown should come out on top. In saying that, a lot will depend on who Edwardstown have out on the park. They are no longer playing under Justin Calderbank and are no stranger to changes in the lineup due to injury this year. Westminster are a chance here, but at home Edwardstown should get the win. Edwardstown by 22

North Haven vs Gaza

The Magpies find themselves back on the winners list after taking care of Plympton last week but they face a stern test when they welcome Gaza this coming Saturday. Gaza find themselves outside of the five and will be desperate to claw their way back in before the end of the home and away season. North Haven, at this point in time, simply can’t kick straight. They’ve kicked 34.52 in the last three weeks and will need to turn that around if they want to play a large part in the remainder of the season. The home side have talent and hard work, though, and will expect nothing short of a win here. Gaza are young and hungry to make an impact this season so I expect them to push North Haven here but the magpies should be too strong on their home deck. North haven by 14.

Modbury vs Golden Grove

The Div 3 Derby, Modbury welcome Golden Grove this week and it’s no secret both sides would love to pull one over on their north-eastern rivals. To make it even juicier, these two find themselves at number one and two on the ladder with only one loss between them for the entire year. Golden Grove will be favourites heading in and rightfully so. They have beaten all challengers seemingly without breaking a sweat so far and will look to do the same this weekend. They have an elite midfield and are dangerous going forward, but Modbury have proven to be more than capable of putting a winning score on the board. This should be the biggest test for Golden Grove so far, but is one that they will be well and truly up for given the history between these two. Golden Grove to win here and lock up top spot for the season. Grove by 42.

Plympton vs Flinders Park

Whilst this looks like a foregone conclusion, there is still room for one big upset this season and I wouldn’t be shocked if this was the game it came in. Flinders Park are red hot and have stormed back into finals contention after starting the year 0-3 whereas Plympton are still without a win. The only thing standing between the Reds and finals footy is complacency and Plympton are dying to claim a big scalp this year, this could be it. It would be against the odds, though. The introduction of Luke Trenorden has reinvigorated this Parks side who have a fully functioning forward line and a young, quick team looking to make amends for a poor start to the year. They should win here and win well, but the doggies are desperate and won’t go down without a fight. Flinders Park by 37.

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