Seagulls and ‘Seas clash could see Barwon Heads take top spot

Anglesea vs Barwon Heads @ Alcoa Oval – Saturday, 2:10pm

ANGLESEA not only maintained its spot inside top five with an impressive 53-point win over Geelong Amateur it kept alive its chances of finishing with the double-chance. “I’ve said all along there’s not much between the top six on any given day,” Roos coach Paul Nigro said. “We weren’t happy with our last quarter last week (against Torquay). We had to regroup and regroup quickly and would be measured by our response within seven days. The lads were terrific in their response.” Anglesea now faces a Barwon Heads line-up positioning itself for a crack at top spot. The Seagulls are just half-agame behind Ammos thanks to the Roos. If Amateur was to lose to Modewarre and Barwon Heads get over Anglesea, the Seagulls would hold top spot for the first time since Round 5. The previous meeting between the teams saw the Roos home in a thriller by four points.

Last time they met: Round 8, 2019: Anglesea 10.10 (70) def. Barwon Heads 10.6 (66) @ Howard Harmer Oval
Prediction: Barwon Heads by 11 points Modewarre vs. Geelong Amateur @ Community Bank Oval – Saturday, 2:10pm

GEELONG Amateur had its grip on the minor premiership loosened after being held to its lowest score of the year in last week’s 53-point loss to Anglesea. Ammos has arguably the toughest final month of any team, with this week’s clash with Modewarre to be followed by home games against fellow finals contenders Drysdale and Barwon Heads. Lose all three, and it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that Kane Tenace’s men could be on
the outside looking on the top five come 5 pm on August 17. The Warriors were impressive in seeing off Drysdale by 30 points, with Nathan Ablett playing a starring role in the ruck. It’s something Ablett will have to come accustomed to for the rest of the home-and-away season following finger surgery for Modewarre co-coach John Meesen. “I’ll hope to get back, but I’ll be unlikely to play up until finals,” Meesen said.

Last time they met: Round 8, 2019: Geelong Amateur 20.14 (134) def. Modewarre 14.14 (98) @ KFC Oval – Queen’s Park
Prediction: Modewarre by 16 points Torquay vs. Queenscliff @ McCartney Oval – Saturday, 2:10pm

TORQUAY could find itself climbing from sixth to third in the space of two weeks if results go its way this weekend. If the Tigers can overcome an improving Queenscliff, and Geelong Amateur and Barwon Heads beat Modewarre and Anglesea respectively, the Tigers will hold a double-chance spot with two rounds remaining. They’ll round out the season against Portarlington and Newcomb. The Coutas celebrated Luke Orvis’ 200th game in style, putting Portarlington away to the tune of 82 points, with Orvis kicking four goals for the second consecutive week. Torquay kept Queenscliff to three goals in a 64-point win when the two teams met back in Round 7. However, the margin should have been higher with the Tigers kicking 25 behinds in its 36 scoring shots.

Last time they met: Round 7, 2019: Torquay 11.25 (91) def. Queenscliff 3.8 (26)
Prediction: Torquay by 32 points Drysdale vs. Newcomb @ Mortimer Oval – Saturday, 2:10pm

DRYSDALE finds itself sitting outside the top five for the first time in 2019 following last week’s 30-point loss to Modewarre. And there is no guarantee a win over Newcomb will see the Hawks re-enter with two rounds left in the homeand- away season. The Power started well against Barwon Heads last week before being blown away in a disappointing second quarter. Trailing by 11 points at quarter time, Newcomb was powerless to stop an eight goal rampage by the Seagulls. The last meeting between Drysdale and Newcomb resulted in a 156-point win for the Hawks, with Jarrod Garth kicking 14 goals in a dominant performance. Cocoaches Luke Matthews and Daniel Jull would love a similar percentage boost this time around as Drysdale marks 10 years since the 2009 premiership. However, the Power is unlikely to surrender as easily this time round.

Last time they met: Round 8, 2019: Drysdale 28.19 (187) def. Newcomb by 4.7 (31) @ Newcomb Sand & Soil Oval
Prediction: Drysdale by 53 points Ocean Grove vs. Portarlington @ Ray Menzies Oval – Saturday, 2:10pm

OCEAN Grove will start favourite to register its first win under interim coach David King when it hosts Portarlington. The Grubbers have dominated the Demons for a quarter of a century, winning the last 50 contests between the two clubs. Ocean Grove kicked its highest score of the year in beating Portarlington by 82 points in Round 7 on the back of teenage forward Tom Richardson’s nine goals. However, the son of Grubber and Drysdale great Adam has spent the last month in the under-19s with Ocean Grove sitting on top of the Division 2 ladder. The Demons score on that day of 11.8 (74) remains its highest of the season.

Last time they met: Round 7, 2019: Ocean Grove 25.6 (156) def. Portarlington 11.89 (74) @ Ron Evans Oval
Prediction: Ocean Grove by 25 points