by Rob Popplestone

Hill End will travel to Newborough whilst Thorpdale will host the unbeaten Morwell East in round three of Mid Gippsland Football League.

Newborough v Hill End

Newborough was given a footballing lesson at the hands of Mirboo North last week and you can expect the visiting Rovers to reinforce everything the Tigers taught them on Saturday.

Chase Saunders was outstanding in front of the Hill End goals and converted nine majors in his side’s demolition of Boolarra.  You can expect him to be every bit as dangerous and menacing for the Newborough defence.

In the middle, Ambu Uliando continues the form he showed in 2019 and is a major driver of the Rovers clearances.

It seems Hill End has a tonne of talent everywhere on the park, all as hungry as they were just two seasons ago when they fell short in the 2019 grand final.  That remains one of the intangible strengths of the Rovers; the fact skill and talent is complimented by a real hunger for success.

Although the Bulldogs return to their home turf, the faithful will need to be patient.  You sense coach Peter Ainsworth is well aware of the road ahead, where the nurturing of talent is coupled with the mindset of players remaining positive, even when confronted with a number of sizeable losses.

This won’t be pretty for Newborough but if they can manage some “small wins” within the game it will be another step forward.

Thorpdale v Morwell East

It’s another big test for Thorpdale as it hosts the unbeaten Morwell East.

The Hawks have been workmanlike in their victories to date.  There hasn’t been anything too flash or special, they’re just getting the job done as coach Devon Soutar pointed out.

“The way this season is shaping up, it’s going to be a marathon and banking points will be important,” he said.

This week is no exception.  Morwell East is hot favourite against a Blues side with a way to go before troubling the top tier teams.

That said, Thorpdale is earning respect from coach and community for the fight shown in the opening two rounds.  Even in losses, the team toughed it out with a spirit normally hard to manufacture – you either have it or you don’t.

The depth of talent the Blues come across this week will be about as good as what the league can offer, so the spotlight and heat will be well and truly on a side that’s still finding its way.  Meanwhile, for Morwell East, it will be another four points to boost finals aspirations.

Fish Creek v MDU

Fish Creek escaped with the premiership points last week after trailing Toora for much of the match.  It’s a position they wouldn’t want to find themselves in when they host MDU.

Both sides are unbeaten at this stage, but it’s the Demons who have been the more impressive in victory, with pressure around the footy one of the standout features of their performances.

The Kangaroos were good in the opening round, with the midfield leading the way.  They also have a few avenues to goal with five players contributing to the team’s total of nine in round two.

But it was inaccuracy that almost brought them undone against the Magpies, an area they need to improve on to threaten MDU.

The Demons have been well served by the likes Jess Hickey, Jake McMillan and Sam Wilson who will need much more support this weekend.

To open the season with a three win record will be like gold as the season unfolds, so expect the pressure to be on from opening bounce to final siren.  The winner will be the team that makes the most of their opportunities.

Foster v Tarwin

When a good side is beaten, it keenly gets back on the track to rectify the performance as soon as possible.

Although there was no shame in the opening round loss to Hill End, Foster would have been reeling from spending round two on the sidelines with a bye.

The Tigers may well have spent time scouting this week’s opponent in Tarwin and, if so, would have been impressed with what they saw.

The Sharks’ ball use and skills were a feature in their win over Stony Creek.  Equally, a win is always a confidence boost to the team and coach.

All of these will be needed as they confront a fiercely competitive Foster side.

The Tigers were undermanned in their opening round loss and are expected to bring in some much-needed firepower to kick start their season.

Foster will find a way to win, but it won’t be just turning up that does the job.  It will be regaining the hunger that has the club respected as one better sides in Gippsland.

Stony Creek v Toora

This offers an interesting clash between two sides yet to register a win.

Toora coach Luke Manders was pleased in the improvement from the opening round to last week’s loss to Fish Creek; well as pleased as you can be in a loss.

Stony Creek was jumped early when defeated by Tarwin, something you would expect them to address in the opening quarter.

The Lions would have this one marked in for a win, given it’s their first home match.  They would be hopeful players like Thomas Stone, Hayden Funnell, Sam Marriott, Jakeb Pronk and Brenton Byrnes can get the support required to lift them to victory.

Sometimes a loss can dent a side’s confidence.  If Toora can apply enough pressure early, they may find Stony get the wobbles; at least that’s what the Magpies would be hoping.

With that said, a quick start and a first quarter lead may go a long way to winning the game.

It’s a tough one to pick but even early in the season, it’s a long way back for the loser.

Yinnar v Mirboo North

Yinnar must be accurate in front of goals when opportunities arise or this one will slip very quickly.

Mirboo North will punish the Magpies for any lapse in skills or concentration as did the Hawks last week.

Scoreboard pressure is a funny thing and can impact opposition sides differently.  But Yinnar couldn’t test the theory last week as 17 shots at goal returned only five goals, an efficiency rate of less than 30 per cent - and that won’t win you many games.

Mirboo North, on the other hand, was marginally better than 50 per cent when piling on 19 goals from 37 shots against Newborough in round two.  You would expect the Tigers to apply similar pressure this week to their neighbours and Yinnar coach Daniel Taylor will get a real look at who can stand up and be counted.

Mirboo North should win this game, but stranger things have happened - I just can’t think of one at the moment!

Boolarra has the bye.