Tigers, Lions to duel it out in Sunday special

ALL eyes will be on Central Reserve this Sunday, July 28 with Colac to host Leopold in a standalone fixture, which could have major ramifications for the Geelong Football League’s finals race.

Colac senior coach Rowan McSparron said his side welcomed the challenge of hosting the reigning premiers, as the Tigers will also host its past players to coincide with senior play.

“We’re hoping we can get a ripping crowd and put on a good show.

“You can throw a blanket across a dozen of Leopold’s players when they’re fresh off winning a flag.

“They’re gonna be right there again this season and they run pretty deep, so to single out one or two players in particular might just be a little bit disrespectful.”

Colac sit inside the top five with nine wins and four losses, a record shared with three other sides: South Barwon, Bell Park, and this week’s opponents Leopold.

McSparron was encouraged by his side’s convincing win over Newtown & Chilwell a week ago, keeping the Eagles to 2.4 (16) – the lowest score by an opponent this season.

“We knew Newtown were a bit up and down this season, but they still have an abundance of talent and are always hard to beat on their home deck, especially in those conditions – it was trying for both teams,” McSparron said.

“It was definitely a collective group effort, the buy-in from the boys was really good, behind the ball we defended well.

“It was the old Under 12 best on ground awards for us, anyone could have been rewarded on that day.”

Adam Garner has been on fire in 2024, leading the goal-kicking leaderboard by five on 49 goals, with Dustin Walters also in the top 10 with 26 majors.

Zachary Zdybel has again been a standout performer alongside Chaise Murray, both receiving best player nomination more than half a dozen times.

Colac and Leopold begin play this Sunday from 2.10pm.

The Tigers will cap off the season with matches against St Albans, St Mary’s, Geelong West and St Joseph’s.