GAME OF THE ROUND
Last weekend was just about perfect for Te Puke Pukekos. A thumping win over the Vipers saw them take their place in the finals mix, overhauling their points deficit and replacing it with a suddenly healthy buffer.
Now they’re in the box seat amongst the pack on the fringe.
But the fixture gremlins have handed them a difficult season ending fortnight indeed, with back-to-back matchups against arguably the two toughest teams in the league in the Sparkles and then MaherShalalHashBaz.
A win in either of those would be massive. Failure to nab another win would leave them at the mercy of others.
Meanwhile, the Sparkles have been banging on the top-two door. They’ve won 12 straight, with wins in that time over both clubs in front of them. I doubt there’s been many times we’ve had a team win 12 in a row and not be in the top two…
They’ve now watched their rival for second in the Roughnecks escape by the skin of their teeth in round 17 and 19. They’ve been eagerly awaiting that wobble, and so far it’s been denied them. They’ll have a chance to take matters into their own hands next weekend, but in the meantime, they’ll have to deal with a very frisky Pukekos outfit.
Key Outs
Sparkles: Xerri, Papley
Pukekos: Parish, Weddle, Phillipou, McGovern
Last time these two met
Was in round 11, when the Sparkles won a comfortable 192-point victory. Te Puke Pukekos were brought undone by 5 scores below 50, including a positively putrid 15 from Jaxon Binns.
DangerGawn votes
| Toby Greene |  | 133 |
| Nick Daicos | | 129 |
| Jack Steele | | 126 |
SNEAKY INTERESTING MATCHUP
Threat Level Midnight have a Steven Bradbury sized window before them. They are a game behind Pukekos and Vipers in the win column, and will struggle to overhaul Pukekos on the points front.
But they have a layup victory against the Soldiers they can bank in round 21. An upset here over the Defenestrators this weekend would force Pukekos to acquire victory in one of their difficult remaining games.
That upset is very achievable for these Wolves. The Defenestrators were awfully unlucky not to beat the more fancied Roughnecks last week, but that result nonetheless means they’ve lost 3 in a row. Midnight have put up two very strong scores in a row. Their talisman in Marcus Bontempelli is in red hot form, and Serong has a favourable matchup against the Eagles. A mid-week trade for Alex Neal-Bullen would suggest they’re aware of the opportunity before them here.
The Defenestrators reminded everybody they’re no easy beats last weekend, but they’ve been struggling to get out of first gear for much of the backhalf of the season. They’ve now lost more games than they’ve won, and the form of Te Puke Pukekos has them within sight of the Defenestrators points total. A win here would be a much-needed steadier.
Key Outs
Defenestrators: Walsh, Daniels, Treloar, Hollands, Kelly
Midnight: De Goey, Waterman, Chol
Last time these two met
Was a stone cold classic, with the Defenestrators winning a high scoring encounter by just 2 points. Matt Rowell scored 130 and missed out on DangerGawn votes.
If memory serves, TLM was in very good nick until Melbourne took the field in the second-to-last game of the round. Gawn and Salem combined for a game-changing 279 points.
DangerGawn votes
| Max Gawn |  | 140 |
| Christian Salem | | 139 |
| Ned Long |  | 132 |
STRAY OBSERVATION
It feels like a bit of a crime to not have MSHB v Devils featured in either of the marquee matchups, but that is the price one pays for being pretty firmly entrenched in your current position.
True, MSHB has two clubs breathing down their neck for the minor premiership, and suddenly their season-ending matchup with Pukekos doesn’t seem so straightforward. But they’ll be favourites in both, and only complete disaster would see them slip out of the top two.