Back on deck to brave the byes with you all. A big thanks to Mark, Jordie, and Alex for minding the fort while I was away.
GAME OF THE ROUND
The Devils come into this one smarting after a loss last week to Te Puke Pukekos, putting them a step behind the ladder leaders they’d managed to draw level with.
The Sparkles come into it victorious despite a 1564 last week, the fourth worst score across the land.
Bye week machinations likely favour the Sparkles here. They welcome back their mob of Kangaroos, as well as Noah Anderson, with Toby Greene being the only major ‘out’. McCluggage also misses, with injury.
The Devils get back their Port Adelaide troop (minus Rozee), but lose their streak of Tigers, and the very in-form Connor Idun down back. No Rankine either.
They still have matchups to come against MSHB and the Roughnecks, which is to say, they could still claw their way back if they fell two wins behind the ladder leaders. But it wouldn’t leave much room for error.
Key Outs
Sparkles: Greene, McCluggage
Devils: Rankine, Idun, Short, Briggs, Banks, Rozee
Last time these two met
A comfortable victory for the Sparkles back in round 4, built off the back of 5 tonnes to just the one. Tom Papley led the way for last year’s runner-up, and he isn’t on the list anymore. Standards are set high in Sparkletown.
DangerGawn votes
| Tom Papley |  | 118 |
| Marcus Windhager | | 116 |
| Caleb Daniel | | 115 |
SNEAKY INTERESTING MATCHUP
Hoping the footy gods don’t take umbridge with my overlooking the Roughnecks v Defenestrators matchup here.
I’ve gone with this one as it’s potentially last chance saloon for the Chiefs and their 2026 season. They nearly pulled off a stirring victory last weekend before the Defenestrators kicked into gear in the final quarter of the round. That one stung. A loss here against a similarly placed opponent might mean curtains.
It may be a tall order. They’ll be without their second-best player, by average at least, in club legend Clayton Oliver.
Midnight are missing Gulden, but perhaps they’ve gotten used to that. Serong too (though that doesn’t seem to faze the Dockers). They’re relatively untouched by bye machinations this weekend – though they’re down a few in the backline. Lucky for them, they’ve invested heavily in the part of the field.
So, can the Chiefs defy the odds and stay in the race? Or will one eye start looking toward 2027?
Key Outs
Chiefs: Oliver, McKercher
Midnight: Humphries, Farrell, Coleman
Last time these two met
The Chiefs scored a perfectly commendable 1765 in round 4. Unfortunately for them, Threat Level Midnight broke the 1900 point barrier. They did this despite only getting a 43 from Matt Rowell.
DangerGawn votes
| Marcus Bontempelli |  | 130 |
| Caleb Serong | | 124 |
| Lachlan McAndrew | | 113 |
STRAY OBSERVATION
Maybe Willem Duursma should’ve been the number one pick in the pre-season draft?
Early days of course, but he looks good. Certainly averaging more than Duff-Tytler (to be expected) and Uwland (who knew Bodhi was the true fantasy star in the family).
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