Springbank v Waubra
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at Wallace, Saturday, 2.30pm
Last time: Waubra 8.12 (60) d Springbank 6.2 (38), round 14, 2016
Waubra’s star midfielder Lincoln Barnes has been ruled out for the crunch clash with reigning back-to-back premiers Springbank.
Roos coach Grant Luscombe said Barnes is battling an eye injury he sustained in the dying minutes of last weekend’s battle with Hepburn.
Luscombe said Barnes ran back with the flight of the ball and clashed with an opponent, which has left him with the badly swollen eye.
“He’s been having a really good season as he did last year,” Luscombe said.
Waubra lost that match against the Burras and has slipped to eighth on the Central Highlands Football League ladder as a result.
The team sits just percentage ahead of ninth-placed Daylesford, but only four points adrift of the top four.
Luscombe said he wasn’t concerned about top four aspirations at this stage and was rather looking at what the side needed to do on a game by game basis.
Springbank got back to winning ways last Saturday afternoon with a comfortable triumph over Newlyn.
Tigers coach Michael Searl said onballer Nick Couch would be unavailable for this match, but has named top midfielder Joel Maher to return from a groin issue that kept him sidelined against the Cats. Premiership-winning defender Peter Lewis is another important inclusion after overcoming a leg injury.
Prediction: Springbank
Bungaree v Learmonth
at Bungaree, Saturday, 2.30pm
Last time: Bungaree 15.8 (98) d Learmonth 6.7 (43), round 4, 2016
Bungaree has battled significant injury concerns this season, but remains nicely poised to secure a double chance come finals.
The Demons have worked their way through an easy stretch in the season with a string of wins and currently sit third on the Central Highlands Football League ladder heading into the weekend’s game against Learmonth.
“If we have even luck coming home and we get smiled upon with injuries a bit, we are still every chance of finishing top four,” Bungaree coach Heath Pyke told The Courier.
Pyke and his side host the Lakies on the back of five-straight wins and a bye last weekend.
Meanwhile, Learmonth sits sixth on the table, but has not been able to beat any of last year’s finalists in the first half of the campaign.
The Lakies went down to Daylesford last Saturday and now have a tough run of games that include Bungaree, Gordon and Buninyong in the coming weeks.
Learmonth will be without onballer Matt Jackson this weekend after he accepted a one-match suspension for rough conduct in the clash with the Bulldogs.
Jye Rich was named as his replacement in the selected side submitted on Thursday night.
Rich has received the call-up after being named as Learmonth’s best in the reserves side’s win over the Bulldogs.
Prediction: Bungaree
Daylesford v Newlyn
at Daylesford, Saturday, 2.30pm
Last time: Daylesford 18.11 (119) d Newlyn 5.7 (37), round 11, 2016
Daylesford remains well and truly in the hunt for back-to-back Central Highlands Football League finals appearances and is expected to achieve that goal by coach Marcus Goonan.
Goonan believes his side will have a place in the top eight at season’s end, but must know there can be few slip-ups if that is to become a reality.
The Bulldogs, which closed the gap on eighth-placed Waubra to percentage with last weekend’s win over Learmonth, could easily find themselves inside the finals bracket with victory against Newlyn this Saturday.
With Daylesford expected to beat the Cats, the Roos could slide if they lose to Springbank at Wallace.
After battling Newlyn, the Bulldogs then have a difficult run of games that include the Tigers, Bungaree, Gordon and Buninyong before matches against Ballan and Dunnstown in rounds 16 and 17.
Goonan said half forward Ricky Costanzo was unavailable for this weekend’s fixture, but expected youngster Jordan Botheras to fill his void.
Newlyn joint-coach Dan Wehrung put finals off the agenda last week before his team was well handled by Springbank.
The Cats have named three changes to that line-up with Nathan David, Reece Wynd, Jason Gray all coming into the side.
Prediction: Daylesford
Ballan v Carngham-Linton
at Ballan, Saturday, 2.30pm
Last time: Ballan 19.14 (128) d Carngham-Linton 5.6 (36), round 11, 2016
Ballan: The Blues are hoping onballer Jarryd Graham will play the remainder of the season in the Central Highlands league.
Graham, who will return to the team for the clash with the Saints, has featured with Ballan and in the AFL Townsville competition during 2017, but must decide on a club before the June 30 clearance deadline.
Carngham-Linton: The Saints come off the much-hyped round 10 fixture licking their wounds after a heavy defeat at the hands of Buninyong.
And there will be no Nick O'Brien or Jason Winderlich this weekend in what shapes as a winnable game against a fellow bottom-end side.
Prediction: Ballan
Beaufort v Skipton
at Beaufort, Saturday, 2.30pm
Last time: Beaufort 26.12 (168) d Skipton 5.4 (34), round 4, 2016
Beaufort: After a good win against Rokewood-Corindhap last weekend, Beaufort coach Rohan Brown has confirmed star players Michael Foster and Lee Marshall will be rested this Saturday against Skipton.
And this paves the way for 16-year-old Mitchell Ryan to make his senior debut for the club.
Skipton: Emus coach Greg Middleton has again got selection dramas and has forecast a multitude of changes for this weekend's encounter with the Crows.
Onballers Adam Romey - named the Emus' best in the recent loss to Dunnstown - and Sam Lehmann are among those unavailable, while new signing and key backman Michael Young returns from a week off.
Prediction: Beaufort
Buninyong v Clunes
at Buninyong, Saturday, 2.30pm
Last time: Buninyong 17.20 (122) d Clunes 4.4 (28), round 17, 2016
Buninyong: The Bombers have said goodbye to classy ruckman Liam Rigby, who has headed overseas and will miss the clash with Clunes.
With the Bombers having the bye after next weekend's competition-wide break, versatile forward Jarrod Rodgers will not be risked after aggravating a hamstring in the big win over Carngham-Linton.
Clunes: The Magpies get set for another of the league's heavyweights this weekend in a tough period in the club's season.
Clunes is fronting from its heaviest defeat of the campaign, with Gordon running riot in a 147-point drubbing last Saturday.
Prediction: Buninyong
Dunnstown v Creswick
at Dunnstown, Saturday, 2.30pm
Last time: Creswick 6.11 (47) d Dunnstown 1.7 (13), round 12, 2016
Dunnstown: The Towners have finally started to string together some successful form and head towards another winnable clash on the back of two-straight victories.
Dunnstown went the opening eight games without a win, but has beaten Rokewood-Corindhap and Skipton in its past two outings.
Creswick: Darrian Mann is set for a stint on the sidelines after accepting a two-match ban for striking in the weekend's draw with Ballan.
Meanwhile, Matt Miller, who has been a solid performer all year for the Saints, is also set to miss this clash with a foot issue, according to coach Ryan Knowles.
Prediction: Dunnstown
Hepburn v Rokewood-Corindhap
at Hepburn, Saturday, 2.30pm
Last time: Hepburn 13.11 (89) d Rokewood-Corindhap 4.7 (31), round 9, 2016
Hepburn: The Burras are ticking along beautifully and should greet the competition-wide bye inside the top four with an eighth-straight win.
Hepburn coach Jason Olver said forward Jimmy Rodgers would miss this game with a hamstring strain, while key target Aron Burns is set to be rested.
Rokewood-Corindhap: Grasshoppers coach Jarrod Thompson has recovered from illness and will make his way back into a side in desperate need of a victory.
Thompson missed last weekend's heavy defeat at the hands of Beaufort and returns alongside key midfielder Jake Dowell, who was unavailable against the Crows.
Prediction: Hepburn