by Davyd Reid
TRAFALGAR will host Neerim-Neerim South in match of the day for round seven of Ellinbank District football.
The building Bloods have dropped the points just once, where they challenged ladder leader Buln Buln to three-quarter-time before being put away in the final quarter.
The second-placed side take on reigning premier Neerim-Neerim South, who are climbing back up the ladder following narrow losses to Buln Buln and Ellinbank.
The Cats sit two games from the second-placed Bloods, and one game behind third-placed Ellinbank, but boast a far superior percentage to the remainder of the competition.
It looms as a big opportunity for the Cats to move closer to contention for a second chance, with competition between the top four set to be fierce.
Much like their match against Buln Buln, the Bloods will view it as another early chance to test their credentials against another contender.
The Cats enter the contest holding a slight edge but should be wary of a Bloods side that will play with confidence.
HAVING climbed into the top five for the first time since its entry into the Ellinbank District competition, Yarragon will look to further consolidate its spot when hosting Nyora.
The Saints finally broke through for their first win last week, defeating Lang Lang. They had been building, going down by just six-points to Longwarry the previous week.
However, the Saints have struggled against the higher ranked sides, suffering heavy defeats.
If the Panthers are to emerge into finals contention, these are the type of matches they can barely afford to drop.
Yarragon will be favoured for a comfortable victory here.
ELLINBANK will eye an opportunity to climb another rung on the ladder when travelling to take on Longwarry.
Fresh off the bye, the Eagles will be hungry, knowing it is an opportunity to climb above Trafalgar with a Cats win, given their superior percentage.
The Crows have been disappointing against the leading sides, and will look for an improved effort from last week's efforts against Neerim-Neerim South.
With an opportunity on the line, expect another strong win for the Eagles.
BULN BULN will look to continue its early winning ways when travelling to take on Nilma-Darnum.
The Lyrebirds comfortably accounted for mid-table side Yarragon last week, and has emerged as the team to beat.
Aside from a competitive effort in round two against Trafalgar, where they went down by just five points, the Bombers have struggled.
Expect another big win to the visitor.
LANG LANG will look to bounce back when hosting Poowong.
The Tigers dropped the points to Nyora, who had not won a game to that point.
It was a disaster for a side looking to contend for finals this season. One saving grace is their healthy percentage, which should see them vault to sixth should results go their way.
The Magpies won't be a pushover, having been highly competitive in patches against the higher ranked teams and collecting points over Nyora and Longwarry.
Home ground advantage could just tip it to the Tigers.
CATANI have the bye.