EFL Media’s Tim Fitzsimons previews all the upcoming action in Division 3. Don’t forget to use the #EFLDIV3 hashtag and tweet us, @footyefl.
THE BASIN (9TH, 5-11) v TEMPLESTOWE (3RD, 11-5)
A win is non-negotiable for Templestowe this week against The Basin if they are to keep touch with the top of the table and press for a first placed finish after the home and away season.
The Dockers form has been reasonable of late following the disappointing round 11 loss to Boronia, losing just once from their past five starts.
They were too strong against Warrandyte last week, coming away with a 37-point win.
In contrast, it has been six straight defeats for the Bears since they last tasted victory back in round 10 and although they were able to stick within 10 points of Ferntree Gully at three-quarter last week, they ultimately fell 22 points short of the Eagles.
The Basin are looking for some positives to take out of its final few games of the season and a strong showing against a premiership contender such as Templestowe would be the perfect start.
LAST TIME THEY MET:
ROUND FIVE
TEMPLESTOWE 9.15.69 def. by THE BASIN 10.12.72
The Basin pulled off a terrific upset win against Templestowe on the road, resisting a last quarter charge from the Dockers to hold on and win by three points in a nail biter.
Jarred Bell was outstanding for the Bears while John-Paul Malietzis did his best to try and get his side across the line.
SOUTH BELGRAVE (10TH, 4-12) v RINGWOOD (2ND, 12-4)
South Belgrave’s tough season won’t get any easier this week, hosting a rampaging Ringwood side who are pushing their case as the premiership fancy in division 3.
The Redbacks have now won 12 of their past 13 games and are sitting equal on points with ladder leader Park Orchards going into the final two games of the home and away season.
Their impressive run hasn’t been faulted by the loss of the competitions leading goal kicker Trent Farmer in recent weeks, knocking off Boronia, Templestowe and Ferntree Gully without the star forward.
It will be a tough ask for South Belgrave to cause and upset this week at home having lost their past four games, including a 43-point loss to Chirnside Park last week.
They were blown out of the water early against the Panthers and despite hitting the scoreboard with the breeze in the second and fourth terms, they were unable to bridge the 44-point quarter time deficit.
LAST TIME THEY MET:
ROUND FIVE
RINGWOOD 15.15.105 def. SOUTH BELGRAVE 10.10.70
A six goal to zero first term proved to be the difference as the Redbacks withstood a brave third quarter fight back from South Belgrave to get the four points.
Trent Farmer and David Burmeister combined for nine goals in the win while Alex Bakens was one of South Belgrave’s best with three majors.
EAST BURWOOD (12TH, 0-15-1) v FERNTREE GULLY (7TH, 10-6)
Ferntree Gully will be fighting to keep it’s finals hopes alive this week when they travel to East Burwood Reserve to take on the winless Rams.
The Eagles sit just half a win outside the top five and must take care of East Burwood on Saturday if they are any chance of a fairy-tale finals birth in their first season back in division 3 since 1995.
Despite winning two on the trot, the Eagles scoring power has been down in recent weeks, managing just 13 goals in total from their past three games.
If East Burwood is to cause an upset, they must keep this trend going and hurt Ferntree Gully on the attack whilst holding their own defensively.
The Rams ability to restrict scoring has been one of their issues this season and it was highlighted last week in their 103-point loss to Park Orchards, letting through 23 goals for the day.
LAST TIME THEY MET:
ROUND FIVE
FERNTREE GULLY 9.10.64 def. EAST BURWOOD 8.9.57
A second half resurgence from Ferntree Gully prevented an upset win for East Burwood with the Rams giving up a 36-point half time lead to go down by seven points.
Sam Goodman and Bill Morrison lead the way for the Eagles, with the latter slotting home four goals.
Stephen Henshaw did his best to try and give East Burwood its first win for 2017 with four of his own.
SCORESBY (4TH, 11-5) v CHIRNSIDE PARK (8TH, 7-9)
Scoresby will be hoping to continue their charge towards finals and possibly even a top three spot when they host Chirnside Park.
The Magpies past two months has been as good as any side, winning seven in a row to find themselves inside the top five for the first time since round four.
A stunning second half revival last week saw them run all over the top of Heathmont on the Jets home turf to enjoy victory by seven points.
Chirnside Park was back on the winners list last week after they took care of South Belgrave last week to the tune of 43 points.
Despite being out of the finals race, the Panthers have shown some positive signs in the back half of the season and beating them will prove no easy task this week for Scoresby.
LAST TIME THEY MET:
ROUND FIVE
CHIRNSIDE PARK 13.9.87 def. SCORESBY 10.15.75
Chirnside Park came away with a hard fought 12-point win over Scoresby, holding the Magpies goalless in the last term.
Michael King and Sam Morton were too much to handle as they booted five and four goals respectively.
Marc Williams was named as Scoresby’s best, kicking two goals in the loss.
WARRANDYTE (11TH, 3-13) v HEATHMONT (6TH, 10-6)
Heathmont’s season is on the line this Saturday, with a win over Warrandyte needed if they are to stay in the race for a finals birth.
The Jets were completely shut down after half time last week against Scoresby, with their hard running and slick ball movement shut down by a resurgent Magpie outfit.
Warrandyte have struggled in the past two weeks against strong sides in Park Orchards and Templestowe, losing both by an average of more than 10 goals.
It will be another tough test for a young Bloods team this week but with the Jets showing some cracks in their gameplay when their run has been shut down in recent weeks, an upset is not out of the question.
LAST TIME THEY MET:
ROUND FIVE
HEATHMONT 14.9.93 def. WARRANDYTE 6.3.39
The Jets were well too strong for Warrandyte back in round five, taking care of the Bloods on route to a nine goal victory.
Ben Abbruzzese took best a field honours with four goals for the winners while Sean Bowers and Tom Appleby lead the resistance for Warrandyte.
BORONIA (5TH, 10-5-1) v PARK ORCHARDS (1ST, 12-4)
The final game of round 17 sees two top five sides in Boronia and Park Orchards battling it out at Tormore Reserve.
The Sharks leaped back to the top of the table with a resounding 103-point win over East Burwood.
They have enjoyed big wins over the bottom two sides in the past couple of weeks, however Boronia will be a much bigger task come Saturday afternoon.
Boronia are clinging onto fifth spot after a low scoring struggle against Ringwood last week, going down by 20-points.
It was a tough day for Boronia’s forwards, managing just one solitary goal for the game.
Boronia will be ruing their inaccuracy in front of goal, with the Hawks having 16 scoring shots, the same as their opponent in Ringwood.
LAST TIME THEY MET:
ROUND FIVE
PARK ORCHARDS 10.9.69 def. BORONIA 8.5.53
The Sharks got on top in a tough struggle in their earlier season clash, getting over the line by 16 points.
Alex Geilings and Josh Chappell both produced strong performances for Park Orchards while Tom Dodd and Lachlan McKernan battled hard for the Hawks.
