MILESTONES
100 games:
| Karl Amon |  |
| Jesse Hogan |  |
GAME OF THE ROUND
Can repeat some of last week’s intro here – this is 1st v 2nd, both undefeated in the opening 3 rounds, and the two highest scoring teams in the league to date. Everything you’re looking for in a game of the round.
But a scratching of the surface does take some of the gloss off. Or at least, potentially does. The Bombers are on the bye, and that leaves MSHB without their third strongest performer over the opening 3 weeks. Not a crushing blow – having 22 on field leaves plenty of room for variance. But it does put the Roughnecks in an advantageous position to start the round.
And perhaps MSHB are lucky to still be undefeated. Te Puke Pukekos gave them an almighty scare last weekend. It was looking a bit dire even on Sunday, before Caleb Daniel delivered a 115 and Brady Hough (and one Harley Reid) failed to deliver in the final game of the round.
But a win is a win, no matter how you get them. And MaherShalalHashBaz have 3 of them.
The Roughnecks also have 3, and you can’t fault them so far in season 2025. The forward line remains a watch, with starters succumbing to injury every week. But the team has had a charmed start. Can they keep it rolling with another win, this time over the pre-season favourite?
Key Outs
Roughnecks: Rachele, Durham, Wardlaw
MaherShalalHashBaz: Merrett, McGrath, Yeo, Mills
Last time these two met
Was last season’s elimination final, which saw MaherShalalHashBaz emerge with a 51 point victory. You’ll never guess this, but Merrett played well. As did Daniel Rioli, whose 135 led all comers and helped push MSHB into a Prelim.
DangerGawn votes
| Daniel Rioli |  | 135 |
| Zach Merrett | | 134 |
| Jordan Dawson |  | 126 |
SNEAKY INTERESTING MATCHUP
With apologies to the Defenestrators, who have a solid case to appear here for a third consecutive week (they outscored the Sparkles by more than 200 last weekend…), I simply have to seize the opportunity to look elsewhere.
My eye hasn’t wandered too far though. Their opponent last weekend remains in the slot, taking on a still-injury-ravaged Threat Level Midnight team that has nonetheless won every game they’ve played.
Perhaps you might argue Midnight have been lucky. They’ve not scored more than 1733 to date. With a different fixture and the same scoring, they could be 0 and 3. But they haven’t, and they aren’t.
Banking wins during this early period is absolutely gold for TLM. They’ve set themselves up for a real crack at finals by scraping out victories without Gulden and Bontempelli. Last season they were losing despite brilliant scores from their four leading lights. Surely this bodes well for the club as the season progresses and those stars return to the fold.
Their opponents this weekend were the second highest scoring team last weekend. This is nothing new for the Vipers – they’ve had capacity for incredibly strong scoring week to week for years now. It just happens to be undermined by terrible inconsistency (they scored a 1560 just the week prior). The Vipers heights are higher than this form of Threat Level Midnight. But what version of them will be see this week? Caldwell’s absence will sting. Is the door ajar for a fourth successive victory for the Wolves…
Key Outs
Vipers: Caldwell, Redman, Ugle-Hagan, Darcy
Midnight: Gulden, Bontempelli, Waterman, Prestia, Shiel, Byran
Last time these two met
Was during the byes last season – round 13 in fact. The Vipers won a comfortable 124-point victory, despite Errol Gulden dropping a 154.
DangerGawn votes
| Errol Gulden |  | 154 |
| Andrew Brayshaw |  | 136 |
| Lachie Neale | | 135 |
STRAY OBSERVATION
I’ve already snuck in my obligatory Defenestrators mention, but there’s a fourth matchup that holds some intrigue this weekend. The Chiefs and Te Puke Pukekos may not have finals aspirations (or maybe they do, I can’t read minds), but their game could be an interesting progress indicator. The Pukekos have been a little frisky so far this year, despite not tasting victory yet, and the Chiefs have always been able to nab victories even when not near the top of the food chain (they made finals last year doing exactly this). Have Te Puke Pukekos closed the gap with the teams nominally above them? Or is there still a gap to be bridged?