By Marcus Uhe
Old foes will go head-to-head on Saturday afternoon at Toomuc Reserve when Pakenham hosts Narre Warren in Outer East Football Netball Premier Division football.
Expect Toomuc Reserve to be teeming with former players-turned-supporters in a traditional battle between old time South East rivals.
Narre Warren appears as vulnerable as they have been since the preseason when a number of stars left Kalora Park, and as injuries bite, the quality of depth is being tested like it seldom has in previous seasons.
Since the week off for the King’s Birthday long weekend, the Magpies have been pushed for three quarters by Mt Evelyn, snuck home against Woori Yallock and dropped their first points of the year against Upwey Tecoma last week.
Trent Papworth, Kurt Mutimer, Daniel Toner and Travis Callahan all missed Saturday’s loss, and Peter Gentile remains on the sidelines in a fight to regain fitness.
It’s the ideal time for the Lions to face them, though form is not exactly on their side either – it’s been nearly two months since the Sam Kors miracle against Monbulk, the last time Paul Carbis’ side sung the song.
The current losing streak dates back to round five, but the last time the Lions got the better of Narre Warren was way back in 2015.
Narre Warren will no doubt be smarting after last week’s loss, something they haven’t experienced too often in recent years, and will be eager to head into Saturday night’s Hall of Fame event on the back of a strong rebound against Pakenham.
The round one replay continues throughout the week in an opportunity to settle scores from early in the season.
Casting our minds back to mid-April, Gembrook Cockatoo recovered from a 20-point three-quarter-time deficit against Berwick Springs at Mick Morland Reserve, in a brutal lesson of playing four quarters of football in the premier division.
Now desperate for a win, the Titans tackle Gembrook with the pressure on Michael Firrito’s side slightly relieved, on the back of last week’s convincing win over Pakenham.
The result has lifted the monkey of the Brooker back, but the relegation threat still remains.
Considerable work remains to be done to close the percentage gap on Pakenham in ninth, so look for the Brookers to cash-in on a depleted outfit.
Officer heads to Woori Yallock to face the Tigers, the second trip up the hills in two weeks in what is a brutal fortnight for the Kangaroos, having tackled Wandin in round 11.
Emerald will aim for a better start to this fixture than the last time they played Olinda Ferny Creek, where they conceded the first 40 points of the match in a return to reality, having hoisted a premiership flag in its last match.
It will be worth keeping an eye on Mt Evelyn’s contest with Wandin, too – the Rovers downed Wandin nearly 12 months ago, and only just fell short of the reigning premier back in round one.
Tips: Emerald v OLINDA FERNY CREEK, WOORI YALLOCK v Officer, GEMBROOK COCKATOO v Berwick Springs, Pakenham v NARRE WARREN, Mt Evelyn v WANDIN, Monbulk v UPWEY TECOMA.
