HFNL 2015 Season

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Another big upset in Hampden League today as Camperdown Magpies had a nail biting win over league leaders Koroit!! It's Koroits first loss for the season! The Pies have been improving steadily over a few weeks and have threatened to hurt a side and today was it! Well done to the Pies!

North Warrnambool were 100 point winners over South Warrnambool!

Portland were 46 point winners over Terang/Mortlake!

Warrnambool were 21 point winners over Cobden!
 
Sandy Robinson from Port Fairy Seagulls and Chris Baxter from Terang Mortlake Bloods have both been selected to play for Vic Country this weekend coming. Chris Baxter is a genuine star backman who week in week out wins his position on the ground and plays a great style of footy!! Sandy has proven himself at VFL and VCFL Interleague level and deserves the crack at higher level! Well done boys!
 

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Recruits of the Year (so far...) -

Dan Casey (Camperdown Magpies) - The big bad bustling Casey slotted 6 majors doing his bit as Camperdown took the points over the premiership favourites Koroit on Saturday. He is a big old fashioned full forward/CHF who monsters opponents and kicks a very long ball. Dan has kicked multiple goals on quite a few occasions this year but to do it against the top two sides over last two weeks shows this bloke has got it. He sits at the top of the goal kicking ladder avg 4.45 goals and game and has a total of 49 goals, 12 ahead of reigning HFNL leading goal kicker Jason Rowan (Wbool Blues). Great pick up for Camperdown grabbing him from the Colac Tigers for 2013. He is also taking over as Coach of Camperdown in 2014.

Mark Murphy (North Warrnambool Eagles) - The Eagles utility has developed into a goal kicking machine! He has managed to kick 2 lots of 5 goals, 1 of 4 goals and 2 of 3 goals. Averages 2.27 a game and has an impressive total of 25 for the year. What is so surprising is he has made the leap from Warrnambool District League playing for South Rovers last season with his brother and also now Eagle Nathan Murphy. He arrived at the Eagles with no expectations on him and even had some big knockers suggesting he would only play reserves. Well Mark has put that to bed in a big way and could serve to be the Eagles X factor in weeks to come. Impressive recruiting by North Warrnambool.

Marcus Hickey (Cobden) - The big ruckman/forward was last year playing for Timboon in the WDFNL and was highly rated after sharing MVP honours in 2011 with Brad Johnson of Kolora Noorat. He has stepped up and proved his worth especially when Cobden lost Maskell Medallist Levi Dare to a hand injury. Marcus took over the bulk of the ruck duties and showed he can match it with the best. Not only can the man ruck but he can kick goals, last week he kicked the big bag of 10 against Hamilton Kangaroos. He could prove to help Cobden even more towards the end of the season lowering the workload of Levi.

Sam Wilson (Warrnambool) - Another who has stepped up from WDFNL and has been ultra impressive off half back for the Blues. Sam has had to play both on some very good opponents as a stopper and on other occasions as a runner off half back. He has been in Warrnambools best a whole lot of times and looks to be one of the top pick ups of the year. Again been a vitally important cog in the Warrnambool machine as their backline has had injury troubles but also he has allowed Sam Cowling to go forward and have positive results.

Special mentions to:
Khan Beckett (Camp) another from Colac way, midfielder who is elusive and a good ball user, accumulates without much fuss.
Brody Mahony (Cob) this young man lit up the competition early on and was touted as a possible Maskell Medal favourite, unfortunately injury has halted that run and we hope to see the former Colac mid/forward back in action soon!
Sandy Robinson (Port Fairy) has been selected to play for Vic Country and was named best on for Hampden in the VCFL Interleague. His impact on results is hard to account for when Port Fairy is winless but his presence has lifted them to have improved efforts and he himself has earned praise from those around him.

Open to interpretation but from the players new to our league i feel these are the picks, its great to see new recruits going strong, it only serves to improve our game and entice more players to make the leap or crossover to our beloved Hampden League!!
 
Last weekend was the bye and looking forward to getting back into it this weekend!! Review on Friday. Cheers for the comments 'de lulio2wiggins' happy to be informing the few that read.
 
This weeks games

Terang/Mortlake v North Warrnambool Eagles -
The Eagles have significantly strengthened their side with the return of Coach David Haynes, fwd Robbie Gregg and North Ballarat Rooster Marcus Darmody for his 1st game of the season with the Eagles. Interestingly Joel Nestor was dropped from the side, usually a solid contributor but maybe has been sent back to get some stats accumulation in the ressies. Terang's veteran midfielder Pat Heffernan has returned to the side, he will help to tidy up the mids and add some very solid experience to the side. Staunton is due to show some of that interleague form look for a big game.
North should win this easily as they have been doing against most sides below them.
North Warrnambool by 45 points.

Port Fairy v Warrnambool -
The Blues have included youngster Corey Gallichan at the expense of an injured Brad Bull. Port Fairy have lost Sandy Robinson because of personal reasons and recalled Andrew McCartney and Lachie Young. Without Robinson they will struggle to combat the ruck of Rob Bright and Andrew McCarthty. The Blues should wrap this one up in 4qtr belting.
Warrnambool by 100 points.

Portland v Hamilton -
Portland have called upon Jarrod Hayse, Scott Clark and Josh Chapman for the must win game against Hamilton. 3 solid ins and should sure up the side nicely. Hard to beat at home the Tigers and will continue the great form of recent times and win this game well. Hamilton are tracking ok in Hampden League and their kids coming through are an absolute positive, Portland are too big and strong at this stage for the Kangaroos.
Portland by 45 points.

Cobden v Camperdown
Match of the round for sure! Both teams are strong, big ins, recent wins, and both looking at finals action. Cross town rivalry adds to this tasty morsel of a match! Brody Mahoney returns from injury and that is welcome news to the Bombers, he has been a revelation since crossing from Colac, early calls of Maskell Medal, kicking bags of goals, ringing in the 3 votes regularly. Josh Goonan also returns at the cost of Lincoln Dare and Tom Leishman. Camperdown have some stellar ins with supreme midfielder Luke Mahony returning from knee soreness, also veteran mid Matty Sinnott who is a class user of the ball. Jacob Mahony also is back in the side from injury and the added class of Geelong Falcons player Jack Williams makes Camperdown a good looking side on paper! There is a misconception that the speed of Cobden is their main factor of how they win games, I look at them and see a very classy skillful side right across the park, they use the ball by foot better than any side in the comp chipping and hitting any free target available and then creating the space for the overlap run and carry. Camperdown will need to close down that space and put the ball handlers under pressure to create the turnovers and then hurt them on the way back. Cobden will be heating up now though and buoyed by the return of Mahoney will win this one.
Bombers by 13 points.

South Warrnambool v Koroit -
Koroit have recalled a huge amount of talent into this weeks side, Sam Dobson, Chris McLaren, Haydn Drew and Seamus Blake return along side Ben Walsh and Tauryn Zimmer. They have chopped
Eli Barker, Nathan Auld, Jesse White, Morgan Van Der Marrk, Brad Williams and surprisingly Alex White. It's a raft of changes but only serve to make this game more one sided. South have added so so forward Kym Eagleson and Paddy Anderson.
Koroit by 100 points.

Great to see the support of North Warrnambool Eagles for Casey Tutungi who was recently diagnosed as a quadriplegic after a footballing accident. Their seniors will donate half of each players match payments to the appeal. (As tweeted by @NW_Eagles) I'm sure other clubs will follow suit.

Great to have footy back on and good luck to all sides!!

Ps. Great to see the night Geelong Cats clip the Hawks wings again!! Eleven is Heaven!
 
Winners today -

HFNL Full Time Score

North Warrnambool Eagles 10.14.74
Terang Mortlake 4.12.36

Portland 7.10.52
Hamilton 3.7.25

Cobden 8.7.55
Camperdown 4.10.34

Sorth Warrnambool 2.3.15
Koroit 5.20.50

Warrnambool 11.8.74
Port Fairy 3.7.25
 
So lets start with saying all the games last week were back to good old fashioned middle of winter hard slogs! It was pouring rain, muddy and heavy footys! And the results all went the way as expected. According to the weather forecast there is more of the same coming this weekend!

It's great to see the race for the top 5 still open for business with Portland having a good win over Hamilton and Cobden brushing aside Camperdown. North Warrnambool and Warrnambool had solid wins and Koroit was too good in its clash against South Warrnambool.
It leaves the ladder looking like this:

Koroit 44
NW Eagles 36
Warrnambool 36
Cobden 34
Portland 28
....................
C'down 24
Terang 20
Hamilton 12
South Wbool 4
Port Fairy 2

Now with 6 games remaining the twists are yet to come.

It starts with North Warrnambool v Koroit this weekend at Bushfield. Rd.13
It follows by Cobden v North Warrnambool Rd.14
Along with Portland v Camperdown Rd.14
Then we have Koroit v Cobden Rd.15
At the Portland fortress Hanlon Park we have Portland v Nth Wbool Rd.16
And to finish Portland v Cobden at the fortress Rd.18
Also Warrnambool v Nth Wbool at the Reid.

These are the higlights and games that are most likely to determine ladder positioning. Of course this is dependent on teams beating the teams they should and no doubt there will be an upset of two but looking at that Warrnambool are a huge chance to swoop on a top 2 finish if North Warrnambool fail to beat either Koroit or Cobden in the next two weeks. If they can knock off Koroit then they are only 1 game from top spot. Cobden can do everything right from here and still possibly miss out on the important top 3 finish. Warrnambool with only the one top 4 clash to come are in the box seat if Koroit and North stumble.
Portland have a tough run and must beat Camperown in Rd.14 for any chance for top 5 finish. Even though they do play well at home I really feel like North and Cobden will win over there this end of the season. Camperown just need to beat the sides below including Portland for them to cruise into 5th.

Now prediction time....

The final top 5..6 weeks out...


Koroit - possibly drop one or two, could fall to second at worst
Warrnambool - possibly drop one, if none could finish top if Koroit drop 2.
North Warrnambool - could drop 3 and fall to 4th, likely to drop 2 and finish 3rd
Cobden - could drop 2-3 and stay 4th or drop 1/0 and move to 3rd.
Camperdown - could miss if lose to Portland but I think 5th if they win and pinch another.

Very simplistic look at the final 5 in terms of possible losses against tough match ups left, but all in all is what it will probably come down to.
I like the looks of the Eagles with players to return but can they overcome the big 3 in Koroit, Warrnambool and Cobden in 2013.
Warrnambool also have some handy inclusions to come and have the best run home only facing the Eagles in Rd.18...ominous.
Cobden are going to need the services of big man Levi Dare to do serious damage, how far off is he? I'm hearing still 3-5 weeks. Well drilled side but missed polish in 2012 GF.
Koroit are still the clubhouse leaders and well and truly favorites for the flag. Strong healthy list, great coach, belief and executing game plan. Hard to beat.

Some of those top sides have a host of players to return in coming weeks or return again during finals due to North Ballarat Rebels and Roosters missing out of finals action.
Names like -
Tim Hunt, Wbool.
Brad Bull, Wbool.
Damian McCorkell, Wbool. (Just returned)
Levi Dare, Cobden.
Brody Mahoney Cobden. (Just returned)
Jayden Brennan, Koroit.
Jeremy Parkinson, NWE.
Marcus Darmody, NWE.
Mathew Buck, NWE.
Jordan Dillon, NWE.
Mitch Bowman, NWE.

Sorry for the ones I may of missed but that's an impressive list and shows why I am excited about the prospects of a bumper finals series. It's a great year in Hampden League and only about to get better!! Hold on and enjoy the ride!
 
sam42 said:
Barring Injury concerns Portland will beat Camperdown at home. Should be an interesting run to finals.
Click to expand...

Yeah will be a great game that one. Camperdown with Luke Mahoney fit and Matthew Sinnott back in all of a sudden look a little more dangerous through the midfield and can use Sam Chapman as a full time defender. Shapes up to be a beauty.
 

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Made my way to Bushfield today and what a terrific win today by the North Warrnambool Eagles against ladder leader Koroit. After trailing up until the final minutes of the 3rd Qtr the Eagles hit their straps to get a decent buffer before Koroit kicked a steadier. Koroit attacked for the final 5-8 mins but the Eagles repelled again and again. Brendan Murfett, Tom Batten and Andy McMeel were standouts today. The win puts North within 1 win of top spot and they face their bogey side in Cobden Bombers next weekend. What a match that will be. Other things I noticed today, Koroit's skill level was down by foot, missed a lot of targets all day. Ben Goodall looked like he may have been injured or sore as he played predominantly as a fwd. Eagles were a player down all day with Xavier Mills going down with a hamstring injury. Michael Darmody had good influence in the ruck and around stoppages. Ben Dobson was Koroits best player by my eyes. North Warrnambool have found a ripper kid in Sam McLachlan, took many impressive marks in greasy conditions. David Haynes, Robert Gregg and Mark Murphy are a handful for any side when they are up and about. Great game to watch today and well done to the Eagles who are now officially contenders.
Final Score - Eagles 14.12 96 DEF Koroit 13.9 87.

Other winners today:


Cobden 4.4, 4.4, 8.5, 10.6 (66)

South Warrnambool 1.0, 3.5, 4.5, 6.6 (42)



Camperdown 1.5, 9.6, 12.11, 17.13 (115)

Port Fairy 4.1, 6.2, 7.4, 11.7 (73)



Warrnambool 3.3, 5.5, 9.12, 10.16 (76)

Portland 2.2, 3.5, 5.9, 8.10 (58)



Terang Mortlake 5.3, 8.4, 12.5, 16.7 (103)

Hamilton Kangaroos 4.4, 5.6, 7.7, 10.12 (72)
 
Breaking News: Just been told by a credible source involved with the club that North Warrnambool Eagles Coach David Haynes has given the club notice he will retire as a player at seasons end. He has also indicated he would like to remain as Coach of the Eagles in 2014 and extend his contract that ends this season. The committee at the Eagles has decided to open up the position for interest as of straight away, but has welcomed Haynes to re-apply for the position is my understanding. One would assume that the Eagles will look to find another playing coach based on recent history but is that the correct call? And is Haynes favored enough to keep the job ahead of other applicants.

Other coaching news is that Shane Threlfall will possibly also make way for new blood at Terang Mortlake. This comes also from a source inside of Terang who says recent indications point in this direction. Shane has had a bumpy road with the Bloods since crossing from Port Fairy, the Bloods results haven't been moving in the up direction where they would obviously prefer. This is mainly due to lack of player retention due to Kolora/Noorat's success, overseas travel and work commitments. Shane's coaching style isn't a bad one from reports but time to try something new to try and revive the once powerhouse Bloods.

South Warrnambool obviously are looking for a new coach in 2014 with Matthew Peake announcing he will retire at seasons end. South have a great crop of juniors and require a good on field leader to help them overcome an exodus of senior players in 2013. One name linked recently is Panmure Coach, Simon O'Keefe, Simon could have the ability to bring a couple of good players from Panmure with him and is a worthy candidate for the South job. Very early speculation but one worth talking about.

Clubs that seem to be safe are:
Port Fairy - Sam Rudolph on a multiple year contract.

Koroit - Adam Dowie firmly entrenched for a couple of years at least.

Cobden - Wayne Robertson is doing a great job down there and they wouldn't look to be changing that up for no reason.

Camperdown - There is a change but it's in process already, Bernie Moloney will hand the coaching keys over to Dan Casey at the seasons end. Dan will be playing coach for them in 2014.

Maybes, ifs, and buts!

Warrnambool - This is far from certain but Scott Carter has done everything the club could ask of him winning premierships and Warrnambool still remain a huge threat this season. The only reason a change would come here is if Scott was to pull the pin at seasons end. If that was the case I would assume the Blues would already know and be on the lookout as well.

Hamilton - Mick Edmonds took on the job after Hamilton sacked Jake Myles (now at North Warrnambool) in the pre season. Mick has took on a raw team with talented juniors and speckles of talent in the seniors. One would only assume unless they have a big name playing coach arrive that it will remain the same up there.

Portland - From what I hear around the traps Jarrod Holt is on a 1 yr contract with the Tigers this season. He has been playing good football and Portland are knocking on the door for finals action in their first year of Hampden league. I have also heard that they have had interest in other players for the coaching position. Last season it was reported they offered Hamilton now North Warrnambools Jake Myles the position. Jake is apparently on a 1 yr contract at North Warrnambool as an Assistant Coach to David Haynes. This in my readings leaves Jake wide open to approach Portland for the job if he in fact doesn't apply or doesn't get the Eagles top job. Now I have just come up with that as I wrote it about Myles and the Eagles....it didn't even cross my mind...could make for some shaky undermining of the top job at North if both Haynes and Myles are going for the same job. Interesting.

So that's my wrap up of what may happen at the helms of the clubs from here on to next season. More information as it comes to hand. No doubt the Warrnambool Standard will catch up to this info in due time.
 
Couple of cracking games this week!!

4th v 2nd - Cobden Bombers v North Warrnambool Eagles
Cobden have named big man Levi Dare for the first time since breaking his hand in Round 4. It's a vitally important cog in the Cobden machine as it allows versatility with their ruck stocks. They have also named Brody Mahoney to return which is another great addition, was an early Maskell favourite before injury struck. North Warrnambool have made one change with Xavier Mills out due to a hamstring injury, the Eagles have recalled Joel Nestor after a stint in the reserves, he will be eager to impress. The Eagles come off a great win against ladder leaders Koroit and it's been a buzz about the club in the media this week, can they contain the excitement and shake off the monkey that firmly rides on their back that is Cobden. 1 win from last 16 games is the word for Eagles v Bombers. That's astounding considering the Eagles have been rising for last 5 - 6 seasons. Cobden will go in supremely confident even though their latest football has been shaky. David Haynes talked more trash than I have read in a long time in the paper this week about his coaching and training etc so he would want to stand up for once against the Bombers, usually has had very ordinary days against them. A win to the Bombers will likely have them back into 3rd spot and the Eagles will drop to 4th. Huge game!
My tip - Cobden Bombers by 10 points.
(Prove me wrong Eagles and I will not tip against you for remainder of year)

6th v 5th - Portland Tigers v Camperdown Magpies
It's the big battle for the 5th spot!! Portland and Camperdown have both made one change each bringing in teenagers Jay Moody (PT) and Jack Williams (CAMP). Both sides have played good footy of late and will be eager to stamp some authority on this one! Hanlon Park is somewhat of a fortress for the Tigers having only lost there to Koroit by a small margin. They will be confident they can conquer again. Camperdown's Dan Casey is in stellar form with the boot and leads the league goal kicking comfortably, Chapman, Luke Mahony, Matt Sinnott and Fraser Lucas are all in good form and will be tough to manage for the Tigers. For the tigers the Van Huegten brothers have been ultra impressive, Jaydon Stiles and Rhys Egan equally so. If Portland can limit Casey they will be a huge chance. They have to win this to keep hopes alive of a finals appearance as they have a very tough run home!
My tip - Camperdown by 3 points

10th v 9th - Port Fairy Seagulls v South Warrnambool Roosters
The battle for the wooden spoon! Half a game separates them! South have named some experienced players for this week, Danny Finn, Matty Peake and Ben Mugavin all come back into the side. Port Fairy will look to grind out a win here and take the points needed to lift them off the bottom of the ladder, but South are a very proud club and don't like to be embarrassed, look for a very solid showing I think.
My tip - South Warrnambool by 25 points.

Other games -
Koroit v Terang: Koroit to win by 40 points
Hamilton v Warrnambool: Warrnambool by 75 points.

Good luck to all sides!! 5 to go!!
 
Winners and Losers:

Cobden 14.17 101
North Wbool 12.6 78

Cobden took the points and rubbed salt into the wound of North Warrnambool's inability to perform against them. The bombers almost doubled Norths scoring shots in what could have been an absolute belting if the Bombers had of kicked straight. Levi Dare was back to his best 1st game back from injury, but rucking again part timers would make the job very easy for him. He dominated according to sources all day. Brendan Richardson also had a solid game on Norths Coach David Haynes, Haynes had been in good form and again has failed against Cobden, he also managed to get sent off leaving the Eagles a man short in a period of the game that left them vulnerable to attack and Cobden did just that. Adam Wines did a good job on Aiden Cole limiting his influence to just the one goal. Where to from here for the Eagles and Bombers?? Bombers now occupy 3rd spot, 2 points ahead of the Eagles and 2 points behind the Blues. The Bombers play Koroit this week which could almost determine the final positions of the ladder. If Cobden were to win they could finish the year from here undefeated with Terang, Port Fairy and Portland to finish. That would make it impossible for the Eagles to finish any higher than 4th unless Warrnambool dropped a game and it just so happens Warrnambool and North meet in the final round. If Koroit beat Cobden then North will move back into 3rd after beating Port Fairy this weekend and Cobden will have to rely on North dropping the game v Warrnambool. Unless of course North has an upset loss v Portland at Portland. Can't see that happening though. Good times ahead!

Portland 7.14 56
Camperdown 14.8 92

Camperdown showed its hunger for finals with a solid win over Portland at Hanlon Park. It's now Portlands second loss over there this season and it's biggest loss there in years. The end of the season probably won't come quick enough for Portland and Hamilton as they adjust to the pace and fitness level required for Hampden footy. The Pies now have a reasonable run home compared to Portland, it should mean Camperdown will make the 5 and will worry either Cobden or North Warrnambool in the Elimination Final. They have the talent and may be coming good at the right end of the season. Aaron Sinnott wound back the clock to kick 4 goals, Sam Chapman was again dominant and managed 3 goals, also Dan Casey added another 3 to his tally. Luke Molan had another great game also.

Hamilton 10.5 65
Warrnambool 27.15 177

Warrnambool annihilated Hamilton up at Hamilton on the weekend. Jason Rowan took his first big haul for the season kicking 10 goals. It was an impressive display of skills and accuracy by the Blues as they left Hamilton supporters in awe of what a top side in the Hampden league looks like. Besides Rowan the Blues had a host of goal kickers with the inform little man of the comp Jye Turland kicking 6, Travis Graham kicked 4, Jackson Bell 2, and 5 others on singles. Tim Hunt was impressive and is heating up for a big finish this season after missing the first half of the season with injury. Also dangerous was the ultra impressive Jackson Bell. He is fast, creative and his skills are sublime. They have found the replacement for Dustin McCorkell in Bell in my opinion. He is a ripper. Damian McCorkell was named best on ground. For the Kangaroos Kane Ubergang kicked 5 and was the shining light for them, Gareth Crawford also battled well in the midfield. Warrnambool could still go on to finish top of the ladder yet, they will be hoping that Cobden can beat Koroit this week.

Koroit 15.9 99
Terang/Mort 7.10 52

Koroit won as expected. Sam Dobson kicked 4 and Goodall 3. Chris McLaren named best on ground for Koroit.
Terang's Jake Meade kicked 3 and was named Terang's best player. Koroit just need to keep winning and will have top spot sewn up if they win against Cobden this week.

Port Fairy 10.13 73
Sth Wbool 8.21 69

Port Fairy snapped a 46 game losing streak to narrowly beat now bottom of the ladder side South Warrnambool. Inaccuracy cost the Roosters dearly as they lost by only 4 points. Sandy Robinson and Coach Sam Rudolph led the way for the Seagulls kicking 3 and 2 goals a piece and lifting their side over the line. It's great for the Seagulls to get some spoils as they try under Rudolph to revive their club and lift them to the once great side they were. Lets just hope they can be competitive for the last part of the season and then come back next season with a stronger list and keep developing the kids and locals. It's good for footy.
 
Any predictions with the end of season approaching?
I'll have a stab at it:

Premiers: Koroit
Runners up: Warrnambool
League Medal: Sam Chapman and / or Ben Goodall

Could really be any of the top five, with Koroit and Warrnambool having great finals experience I am leaning towards them. Cobden look to be peaking at the right time of the year! I'm sure the league medal could go to any of a number of players as well with these two being known vote getters.
Congratulations to Portland and Hamilton in their first year in Hampden.
 
pushupking said:
Any predictions with the end of season approaching?
I'll have a stab at it:

Premiers: Koroit
Runners up: Warrnambool
League Medal: Sam Chapman and / or Ben Goodall

Could really be any of the top five, with Koroit and Warrnambool having great finals experience I am leaning towards them. Cobden look to be peaking at the right time of the year! I'm sure the league medal could go to any of a number of players as well with these two being known vote getters.
Congratulations to Portland and Hamilton in their first year in Hampden.
Click to expand...

Yeah agree on most of that. It will depend on who plays who in the finals and when. Warrnambool looks the goods at the moment with a healthy list and the runs on the board. The only tough game they have left before finals is North Warrnambool last round. They should be ramping up training for next few weeks. Dangerous side. Koroit are well and truly the favourites in my opinion but I think on the big day the Blues grow an extra leg.

Premiers - Warrnambool
Runners Up - Koroit
League Medal - Ben Goodall/Sam Chapman
Smoky - Sam Dobson

Reserves Premiers - Cobden Bombers

Under 18.5's - North Warrnambool Eagles
 
Whispers that Levi Dare will miss this weeks crunch game against Koroit with soreness in the hand, fears are he may have returned too early.
 
Been away on work duties and missed the footy on the weekend. Sorry if anyone missed the review.

It was a very wet and wild weekend from all accounts! Some low scoring wins for most. Cobden have announced themselves as major contenders again for the second consecutive year beating Koroit. Koroit have now dropped 3 of last 4 games to find themselves back in 2nd place on the ladder. It's a familiar scenario with Adam Dowie....does anyone remember when he coached Warrnambool that year they lost games including a final to go on and win the flag. The reason being a heavy training load over those weeks to increase fitness for the finals. They then went on to beat South Wbool who were the dominant side that year. Time will tell if Koroit are in the same boat.
North Warrnambool shook off a persistent Port Fairy to win by 70 odd points. Mark Murphy kicked 6 goals and is having a brilliant year. Portland snatched victory of Sth Wbool in then final 10 seconds with a kick for a point from fwd Jarrod Hayse, it keeps the tigers in the race for the 5! Warrnambool defeated Terang Mortlake without much trouble and Damian McCorkell continues his brilliant form with another best on ground performance. Camperdown defeated Hamilton by 50 points and made their run for the final 5 continue in fine style. Could be a chance to win the Elimination Final come that time, brilliant midfield, strong fwd options but lacks a little in defence.
This week we see a big game for Portland and North Warrnambool as they battle it out at Hanlon Park in Portland.
A danger game in Warrnambool v Camperdown at The Reid Oval, Warrnambool can't afford to stumble at this hurdle and a win to Camperdown could seal a 5th spot finish.
A battle of the cellar dwellers, Hamilton v South Warrnambool, South want off the bottom of the ladder.
Cobden v Terang Mortlake and finally Port Fairy v Koroit.
 
Interesting read in yesterday's Standard re/ 2014 coaches. The Portland one in particular caught my eye with Holty keen to possibly go around once more as they have allegedly got Jake Myles in the cross hairs again. The Myles scenario is even more interesting with the Nth Warrnambool situation being a little awkward as Haynes wants to go on as non-playing.

The Kangaroo coaching landscape is the other one, with Edmonds publicly stating on the radio he wants the job. If he gets it, the 1993 play book will need a major update. The cattle aren't that bad on paper but looking at the results and both times I've seen them there seems to be no improvement in the youth that served both clubs pretty well prior to the merger.

Just my take.
 
XXXXIsland said:
Interesting read in yesterday's Standard re/ 2014 coaches. The Portland one in particular caught my eye with Holty keen to possibly go around once more as they have allegedly got Jake Myles in the cross hairs again. The Myles scenario is even more interesting with the Nth Warrnambool situation being a little awkward as Haynes wants to go on as non-playing.

The Kangaroo coaching landscape is the other one, with Edmonds publicly stating on the radio he wants the job. If he gets it, the 1993 play book will need a major update. The cattle aren't that bad on paper but looking at the results and both times I've seen them there seems to be no improvement in the youth that served both clubs pretty well prior to the merger.

Just my take.
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And a good take it is!!

Portland with Holt is a bit of a conundrum for them, he is in his 30's but still a reasonable player and obviously not too bad of a coach. Tactically at home they like to flood their defensive 50 and choke the opposition, they regain the ball and then break and stream forward. It's not a bad tactic anywhere to employ, but it seems away from home they don't do that. I'm no football coach but it wouldn't of been a bad call to employ those tactics at most grounds in Hampden League. It would of surprised a few. But back to the conundrum, apparently they are now looking in the SANFL for a playing coach. I would be very surprised that if they managed to find a playing coach in Adelaide that they would stick with Holt as coach.
Your spot on about Mick Edmonds, there tactics and game style this season was at times puzzling. Leaving opposition sides with loose defenders and playing their then loose man as an extra midfielder was just strange. For a team that was always going to be light on they needed to protect the scoreboard and let the attacking side of their game build on top of defence. Definitely need to go back to the drawing board on how they approach next season. I have also heard of rumblings amongst the side in concerns to U/18 players turning down senior games late in the season due to the u/18 success. That isn't a good sign for club culture. My sources say they are on the search for a playing coach, one that is a especially a good coach.
North Warrnambool are looking for a new coach as we speak, some players even indicating its time for Haynes to pull the pin if they don't have the ultimate success this season. He has had a good list and decent budget more than any coach before. Haynes wants to stay on going by the paper and by my sources. It will be interesting to see how this unfolds. Could it get messy?? Maybe. Myles apparently won't be going for the job if Haynes wants it. That says to me that he will search elsewhere for a coaching position including Portland. I'm not sure a playing coach is right for a team like North, they have made it to the place they need to be to capitalise on a flag assault, but from my viewing of a couple of games lack the game plan to take down a Cobden or Warrnambool come prelims.
Warrnambool would be mad to look else where Scott Carter is a great coach and has terrific communication with his players. Cobden similar, Wayne Robertson employs a proven game plan and has an excellent relationship with the whole playing group. No talk of reserves and seniors at the club. It's just playing group. He is a coach others could really learn from.
The coach rumour mill is active and the facts are sparse but it will have a few surprises I'm sure.
 
bucknoath said:
There's a few of us wanting to know who HampdenMad is??
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Just think of me as the friendly bloke down the road that speaks to all the passers by and brings all the relevant info back to this forum! Naturally not everything I know but most! No names makes it easier to convey that information Bucknoath! Those Eagles goin alright tho? :)
 

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