by Nicholas Duck
With finals just five weeks away, the race for the top five becomes even tighter this week as some of the top teams test their meddle against the sides looking to take their spots. Some of the results this week are going to have some serious implications for the ladder, and it should be one that the fans are going to love. Here's how this week's matches are shaping up
Saturday July 16
2:20pm for all matches.
Drouin vs Sale
Location: Drouin Recreation Reserve
Drouin will be looking to bounce back this week as they take on Sale at home.
The Hawks certainly would be wanting an improved performance this week after they were thoroughly destroyed by Wonthaggi last week. The loss was their tenth in a row, as the strain of starting a rebuild has taken its toll.
Drouin have shown signs of improvement as the season has progressed and have generally been competitive in many of their games, but they'll be wary of big losses creeping in as their younger players begin to tire.
Sale, meanwhile, are precariously placed coming into this game.
The Magpies sit in fourth currently and are pushing for a top three finish, but with things on the ladder being as tight as they are at the moment they can't afford to be dropping games like these.
They looked a powerful unit last week as they demolished Maffra, but with just five games remaining in the home and away season the foot must stay firmly on the pedal.
Matches between these two have been generally close in recent times, with four of their past five meetings being by four goals or fewer, but with the very different paths the two clubs find themselves on in season 2022 Sale should get the job done.
Leongatha vs Morwell
Location: Leongatha Recreation Reserve
With the minor premiership all but theirs, Leongatha look to be near unbackable premiership favourites as we inch closer to the end of the home and away season. The Parrots are yet to be defeated this year, and have generally been able to defeat most of their opponents with ease.
It means they have plenty of leeway in the home stretch to now switch things up and experiment with what their best line-up looks like going into finals. But knowing the club and the professional unit they are, they may have their eyes instead fixated on the potential history they could create should they win all of their remaining games and enjoy a perfect season.
For Morwell, this year has been an extremely pleasant surprise to their fans, who likely weren't expecting to be this strongly in the finals mix.
With five games to go, the Tigers have surprised just about everyone to sit a game inside the top five, largely thanks to them winning six of their past seven. In a year where most of the top sides have struggled for consistency, that's the kind of record that can hold a team in good stead at the pointy end of the year.
And the thing that will excited Morwell fans even more is that even if they fall short this year, with the developing youth they boast they are well-placed to be in the premiership mix for years to come.
But right now they can't look further than this week, and the fact is the Tigers haven't beaten the Parrots in their past 12 attempts.
And with the form they're in, Leongatha should get the job done here, but don't entirely count the plucky Tigers out. Other sides have, and they've been made to pay.
Maffra vs Wonthaggi
Location: Maffra Recreation Reserve
Just as things seemed to be coming together for Maffra, they quickly fell apart last week. Eagles fans were left a little shocked as their side was demolished in the Battle of the Birds, going down to their bitter rivals in Sale by 44 points.
The size of the loss was especially surprising given that Maffra had looked like they were finally hitting their straps, working their way into the finals mix. Thanks to the loss, they're now back outside the top five and will be hungry to reclaim their spot.
Last week's top goalscorer John Butcher is back out of the team this round, meaning the Eagles will need to find other avenues to goal if they want to outdo Wonthaggi.
The Power have had a bit of an up and down season, particularly in the early stages, but have managed to find themselves sitting in second at this point of the year.
Their best is something to fear, but in matches against some of the top sides they've been found wanting, particularly a couple of weeks ago against Leongatha where they were blown away in the first term and never recovered.
This will be an excellent chance to test their meddle against a side desperate for a win here. These are the kinds of games that separate the good teams from the great ones, and if Wonthaggi wants to be seen as a true premiership threat this should be a game they tick off.
Wonthaggi to win.
Moe vs Bairnsdale
Location: Ted Summerton Reserve
Two of the unluckiest sides in the league come up against each other here, with injuries and illness having cursed both of their campaigns to this point.
Moe won their first five games of the year to look like a solid premiership contender, but since that points things have totally collapsed. They've tasted victory just once in their last eight games, and at this stage are looking like basically no chance of making finals.
Injuries to much of their senior line-up has seriously tested their depth, and though one can't question the commitment of the players they've had to bring in it hasn't been a surprise to some within the club that the losses have piled up.
Bairnsdale have experienced something similar, though admittedly without ever having looked like a threat.
The Redlegs' season was cursed before it even began, meaning they've rarely been able to get their true best 22 on the park. They've only won two games up until this point, and though they've run some sides close it's generally been another year of development for the team.
It makes this one a somewhat tough one to predict, though Moe's solid record against Bairnsdale in recent times plus their home ground advantage should make them favourite, but not by much.
If this one goes down to the wire, don't be surprised.
Traralgon vs Warragul
Location: Terry Hunter Oval
Traralgon's hunt for a top three finish continues this week as they play host to Warragul.
The Maroons have perhaps been the most frustrating side in the league to this point, with their best being good enough to push Leongatha all the way and their worst being poor enough for them to lose to any side they should reasonably beat.
One needs only to look back at the last time these two sides met in round five, where the Gulls claimed the four points in a tough battle.
Warragul's defensive pressure and team effort was at an extremely high level that day, make no mistake, but Traralgon would still have been kicking themselves for letting that one go.
It wasn't the only game Traralgon has let slip this season, and had they won even just a few of them they could be sitting much more comfortably higher up on the ladder.
Warragul, meanwhile, would have been disappointed with their efforts against Morwell last week. The Gulls looked switched on early, but a 10-minute period where their defensive intent slipped was enough to see the game snatched away from them.
They'll still be coming into this one with a lot of confidence given the result of their last meeting, but the Maroons will be very keen to atone for that game and they have more than enough firepower to make it happen.
Traralgon to win.