Rovers to face David and Goliath battle

by Rob Popplestone
As we learn more of the Mid Gippsland football sides, we have a little more confidence in predicting the likely outcome...or do we?
It has become very obvious, very quickly, that it may be better to expect the unexpected, such is the closeness of many matches on a weekly basis.
Hill End v Newborough
If there ever was a David and Goliath story for the MGFNL in 2023, this match is surely it.
It should be noted Hill End have quite recently been where Newborough now sit. The Rovers, through injury and player exits for opportunities at an even stronger level, now finds themselves still searching for a first win of the year, against a side yet to taste defeat.
Hill End coach Mike Santo said he was happy with his boys' efforts last week.
"But our skill errors are costing us badly at the moment," Santo said. "We now look forward to Newborough at home."
You get the feeling everything would have to fall into place for Hill End to threaten Newborough. However, Bulldogs coach Craig Skinner has been around too long and knows his boys will need to be on their game to keep the Rovers at arm's length.
"Looking forward to seeing what surprises coach Santo has for us on Saturday," Skinner said.
It would surely take a magic trick for the home side to claim premiership points. Santo prides himself on producing the unexpected, and he and his team have their opportunity to do just that this week.
Mirboo North v Thorpdale
Just when Thorpdale might be looking for some sort of a reprieve after three commendable and close losses, the Blues find themselves having to travel to the home of Mirboo North to face a Tigers team on the rebound.
"Like always facing Mirboo at home will be one of the biggest challenges for the year," Thorpdale co-coach Jason Winderlich said. "They are sitting third after beating most of the finalists to 2022."
There is no question Mirboo North have bounced back into this season with a newly found confidence and enthusiasm. But, despite their respective places on the ladder, Thorpdale will be no walk in the park.
"Last week our defence was under huge pressure against Newborough, and that meant it was hard to get momentum back our way," Mirboo North coach Peter Mongta said. "This week we have Thorpdale at home. We will recover and look forward to another good game of footy against the Blues."
The Tigers will be deserving favourites. Like the three clubs that have previously faced Thorpdale, they will find that the pathway to success a testing one.
Foster v Yinnar
This week's clash between these two respected teams is a perfect example of what has become common place in this 13-team competition.
Exciting new rivalries have been formed, producing a standard of football that often takes the full 120 minutes of fierce football to determine a winner.
Yinnar coach Daniel Taylor says his team has ground out two wins in the past two weeks.
"Now Foster down at Foster," Taylor said. "We have a good rivalry with them, we've played them three times since the league (has) been merged, and I don't think any game has been won by more than eight or 10 points. So we're keen to get down there and have a crack at it."
Two brave wins by the Tigers in as many weeks, will have the home side ready for as fierce a contest as they can probably expect.
Foster coach Sam Davies said it was the club's first home game and "Yinnar is always a battle, we respect them highly".
As good as the likes of Matt Clark, Todd Bastion, Jon Segat and Tim Wigney have been, they will also be calling on plenty of support from teammates to get the job done.
MDU v Fish Creek
A close loss can either inspire a team to greater heights or cast doubt when pressure is applied once more.
MDU suffered defeat by less than a kick against reigning premiers Yinnar just seven days ago. As a result, they find themselves in a must-win position this week.
"It's another big game this week," MDU coach Nathan Allen said. "We have our past players, so it's a huge day for us, and hopefully we can get across the line. The competition is close and you can't fall too far behind."
The Lions appear to be a good, honest outfit that can match it with most in the competition. This week promises to be no different, with the plan appearing to be attack at all costs.
"Looking forward to playing Meeniyan," Fish Creek coach Jarrad Walker said. "We are starting to build a bit of a rivalry with them and they always match up well on us. it will definitely be a bit of a shootout and a good game to watch."
The Demons coach, still learning about many of his club's opposition, said it was an additional challenge.
"I don't know too much about them, but that's sort of a challenge," Walker said. "Well, it's a challenge, but it's also a positive as we just go about our way and we test ourselves."
There are certain games in a season that appear to be a fork in the road to a club's fortunes. This clash certainly looks like one of those.
Morwell East v Stony Creek
The dream continues for Morwell East, having slipped under the guard of many, if not most, in the MGFNL competition.
Coach Paul Henry has his young team finding a way to win in all three matches to date. With whispers about some more experienced players preparing to return to the nest, things might only get better.
"I thought last week we executed our game plan the best we have so far this season," Henry said. "We controlled the game from the start to finish. This week we welcome Stoney Creek to the East, which will be another big game."
Like Morwell East, Stony Creek has also shown some really pleasing recent form.
"Last week it was pleasing to see our boys play some good footy," Stony Creek coach Chris Verboon said. "But Morwell East, the ladder leaders, will be a tough match-up for us this week."
The intangibles of confidence and momentum can sometimes be hard to grasp. But once a club has them, they can also be hard to stop.
Both of these two teams come into this match in winning form, but only one will carry that title going forward.
Tarwin v Boolarra
The best medicine, they say, after a loss is the opportunity to win as quickly as possible.
Tarwin have had a fortnight to brew on their close three-point loss to Foster, whilst the Demons just seven days to consider the exact same thing...a three point loss to Foster!
That statistic might have us believe that Tarwin and Boolarra should be fighting out perhaps the closest clash of round four.
Tarwin coach Troy Hemmind said his boys would be fresh and ready to go.
"We need to get back on the winners' list, so I'm expecting a good performance from us and also a big challenge from Boolarra," Hemming said.
Boolarra, too, will be keen to return to the winners' list after a couple of excruciating close losses.
"Last week, it was a good game between two determined sides, but our third quarter let us down," Demons coach Tony Giardina said. "But now we head to Tarwin for another big game against another top side."
Early in the season, it might be hard to foresee just how important games like these are. There is no question that this result will have a significant impact on opportunities later in the year.
Bye: Toora.