Injuries abound and just about every team is getting an early test of their depth. Perhaps this opens the door for some upsets…
GAME OF THE ROUND
This was NOT my game of the round when I first glanced at the upcoming fixture. It wasn’t really even in the sneaky interesting mix.
But in the course of writing about the round, I found myself returning to this one.
Te Puke Pukekos have started the year poorly. Very poorly. It is only by the grace of the fixture overlords they have a win on the board, because they would’ve lost to any other opponent in round 2.
But the fixture overlords have smiled on this club, as the fruits of their opening round labour seem to have pooled for this weekend.
They are coming in with a bevy of rock-solid scores already banked. Noble is the leader with 115. They have another tone in English with his 108. But they also have Heeney (98), Budarick (94), Humphrey (84), Andrew (78), Battle (77) and Meek (70) locked in.
The Devils only have one score they’ll likely bank. Fortunately for them it’s a good one, a 115 from Kennedy to effectively ‘cancel out’ Noble.
But they’ve lost Rozee. And they’ve “lost” Amon, in the sense they probably don’t want his 54. Worpel can’t get a game, and Briggs is in shonky form.
So despite the 2 and zip start to the season, are the Devils at risk of losing to the league’s most disappointing outfit from the opening fortnight? The stage is set for an almighty win against the tide. Let’s see if the Devils can get the job done.
Key Outs
Devils: Rozee, Worpel
Pukekos: Day, Bowey, Curtin
Last time these two met
The Devils won a comfortable and commanding victory back in round 15 last season. The Pukekos got a massive 138 from English, and seven scores over 90 in total. But they also suffered from two donuts, and a further 5 scores under 50. The Devils also possesed the superior ruck, with Luke Jackson taking the 3 votes with a 144.
DangerGawn votes
| Luke Jackson |  | 144 |
| Tim English |  | 138 |
| Jordan Clark | | 133 |
SNEAKY INTERESTING MATCHUP
This is a litmus test. The Chiefs have started the season well. Dare I say it, they’ve been frisky.
The Defenestrators have started with two losses. Though they’ve faced last year’s grand finalists in consecutive outings. And they’ve only scored 27 fewer points than these impressive Chiefs.
So where does that leave us? Have the Defenestrators just fallen foul of the fixture overlords? Will order be restored shortly? Are the Chiefs better than advertised? Maybe both things are true.
If Threat Level Midnight have indeed started an ascent, and Te Puke Pukekos aren’t ready to make one of their own, then there’s every chance these two clubs are fighting for 6th spot. A Chiefs win here would give them a handy two game gap.
A loss for the Defenestrators might leave them in an unfortunate hole. They take on the Roughnecks and then Midnight in the following fortnight. Based on exposed form, they’d be the underdogs in both. Could they be staring down the barrel of a 0 and 5 start if they lose this one? A win here might be sorely needed to avoid the season slipping away before it’s really even started.
Key Outs
Defenestrators: Green, Daniels, Treloar
Chiefs: Bergman
Last time these two met
The Defenestrators won by 148 points, with Jarrod Witts and Sam Docherty leading the way with 130+ scores each. Conversely, the Chiefs only had one centurion that weekend, with Logan Morris scoring 103.
DangerGawn votes
| Jarrod Witts |  | 138 |
| Sam Docherty | | 131 |
| Bailey Williams | | 113 |
STRAY OBSERVATION
My original game of the round was Sparkles v Midnight. And seeing as I had already written a bit about this one before changing my mind, I figured may as well not let it go to waste.
These two have started the season well, and similarly – only 13 points separates them after the opening fortnight. They both broke the 1900-point barrier in round 2.
Both are working with slightly less overwhelming opening round scores up their sleeve. The Sparkles have a rock solid 100 from Anderson in the bank, an acceptable 83 from Newcombe, and a very handy 76 from the fresh-faced Jacques down back.
Midnight have a 92 from Bontempelli, followed by several scores where’s it’s a coinflip on whether you want to bank them or aim for better. It’ll be interesting to see where Rowan lands on the likes of Sheldrick and Powell.
Of concern to Midnight will be the Sparkles’ North Melbourne contingent. Xerri dropped the biggest score of the year so far last weekend. This weekend he’ll be facing off against Blakiston, so anything less than 120 is probably a blessing.
Truth be told the Sparkles enter this one with the more favourable conditions. Nonetheless this will be another useful test for TLM. They took it right up the Devils last weekend. Can they match that again? Can they go slightly better? It’s early days, but it does feel like they’re closer to the perceived top four than the rest of the pack…