MILESTONES
100 Games
- Liam Shiels (Love Sparkles)
- Toby Greene (Solomon’s Soldiers)
50 Games
- Dylan Moore (Threat Level Midnight)
- Oscar McInerney (Love Sparkles)
GAME OF THE ROUND
3rd takes on 4th for the right to stay hot on the heels of 2nd.
This matchup has layers. Like an onion.
First, the form line of both clubs. They’re opposites. The Sparkles have steadied in recent weeks, recovering with two straight wins after back-to-back losses to the Chiefs and MaherShalalHashBaz.
The Roughnecks are coming off two consecutive losses.
Secondly, the outs.
The Roughnecks have lost a key cog in Rory Laird. And that loss is the Sparkles’ gain – with the Crows bringing in Matt Crouch to fill the void. Will the Sparkles put the forgotten man onfield?
Not to be outdone on the injury front, the Sparkles have concerns of their own. They’ve lost former Roughneck Adam Cerra, who joins Jy Simpkin on the pine. Neither side will have a full-strength midfield – but then again, who does come round 19?
But potentially the most intriguing layer of all are the games within the game.
Three DangerGawn medal fancies face-off here, with current leader Tim Taranto having a chance to directly stave off the red hot Nick Daicos. And speaking of red hot, elsewhere Tim English faces the high-octane Vipers. Competitors will be hoping English is kept out of the votes in that one.
There are also minor glories at stake. Dawson and Daicos are locked in a battle for the Defender #1 spot in this year’s All-Australian team. Dawson is 33 points ahead. Can Daicos close that gap?
Everything to play for in this one.
SNEAKY INTERESTING MATCHUP
Loser goes home?
Maybe not quite if the loser is MaherShalalHashBaz. But almost definitely if the loser is Threat Level Midnight.
Both teams will have one eye on the Devils v Defenestrators matchup, hoping the former premiers can help them out (though this is traditionally the time of year the Defenestrators find a way to fall out of second place). But the other eye with be watching their opponents.
Saturday night looms large for this matchup. MSHB have 5 players in the Fremantle v Sydney game, including the returning Chad Warner. Threat Level Midnight just have the one – but it’s a big one. Errol Gulden, a man averaging 126.5 in his last 5 games.
In the night’s other contest – Port Adelaide v Collingwood, TLM has four players. MSHB has just one, but it’s Josh Daicos, who is averaging 109 over the last 3 weeks.
The interest levels in this game go beyond sneaky. It’s a classic eight-pointer. It may as well be a final for TLM.
STRAY OBSERVATION
The Vipers will be sitting pretty this weekend, knowing they will almost certainly be leapfrogging the loser of the Roughnecks & Sparkles game. They’ve won four of their last five, and they scored 2049 in that loss….
Touk Miller is back. Liam Henry is, somehow, an elite forward. They might have the best backline in the entire league. The Darcy news is a bummer, true, but there’s lots going right for the team in black and neon green.