Division 1 Preview SAAFL© FIFTH position is looming as a four horse race with Salisbury North currently holding down its position in the top 5 but has competition in Port District, Adelaide University and Portland. Last rounds upset results have left the race wide open for the sides outside the top 5 to sneak in. All four teams have pivotal contests in round 14 that will be season defining for all concerned. Salisbury North’s 1 point upset loss to Gaza will still be fresh in their minds and have a chance to rectify the result when the Hawks host resurgent Portland. Still in the hunt for a finals berth, Portland narrowly defeated Adelaide University to breathe new life into its season. Salisbury North didn’t have too many contributors at the weekend but will require a team effort to halt the Thunders late run. At the weekend the Thunder were well served by Shane Catterall, Dale Laslett and Gavin Shephard and will rely on them plus many others to cause an upset over last year’s runners up. After being comprehensively beaten by Rostrevor Old Collegians, Tea Tree Gully can ill afford to lose too many more matches in the lead up the finals. They face a Port District side reeling from its upset defeat to bottom side St Peters Old Collegians. A poor opening term from the Magpies did them no favours and the deficit was too much ground to make up. The Gullies struggled to find an avenue to goal at the weekend, but against a suspect Port District back 6, the Wolves will kick a winning score and record a moral boosting win. Adelaide University will be rueing missed opportunities in front of goal which cost them two valuable points against Portland. The Blacks will need to rectify its goal kicking woes by Saturday when they take on Henley. The Sharks were shut down by an impressive Goodwood Saints outfit which disallowed Henley to score and get any fluency into their game. Things will be easier for Henley this time around as they will bounce back and almost end Adelaide University’s season. On the back of its buoyant 1 point triumph against Salisbury North, Gaza will be hoping to quell a jubilant St Peters Old Collegians outfit also celebrating a rare win. A win for Gaza will give them new found hope of remaining in the top flight, whilst a loss will almost certainly resign the Eagles to relegation. Goodwood Oval is the setting for Match-of-the-round as the Saints host Rostrevor Old Collegians in a top-of-the-table encounter. Both sides are coming off comfortable victories where they restricted their opponent’s ability to score, whilst applying scoreboard pressure. Full forward, Heath Commane will be a player to nullify for the Saints along with Craig Holm, William O’Malley and Brendan Littler. Goodwood also boasts starts including Shane Tuck, Aaron Bayliss, Brad Dabrowski, Eric Kells and Lou Whitelock. With both sides possessing the most potent forward lines and miserly defences in the competition, it is hard to see who will crack first and with the minor premiership at stake neither side will accept defeat.
Posted on: Fri, 18 Jul 2014 08:21:48 +0000
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