EFL Media’s Tim Fitzsimons previews all the weekend’s action in Division 4…
FAIRPARK (8TH, 5-11-1) v COLDSTREAM (5TH, 10-7)
Coldstream’s season hangs in the balance this week with a win over Fairpark as well as banking on Donvale beating Kilsyth required to sneak into the top four.
The Cougars were too strong for an out of form Whitehorse, extending their lead each quarter on the way to a36-point victory.
Although coming up against a lesser side in Fairpark, Coldstream’s job on Saturday will be tough seeing as though travelling has been a major issue in 2017, with the Cougars unable to register a win on the road since round 3.
Fairpark came agonisingly close to pulling off an upset win over the Glen Waverley Hawks, falling just six points short.
It was a reasonable response from the Lions who would have been very disappointed with their loss to Silvan a week earlier.
Tom McNamara will be the key for Fairpark this week after his five-goal performance against the Hawks and Coldstream will be doing its best to nullify his influence.
LAST TIME THEY MET:
ROUND NINE
COLDSTREAM 17.8.110 def. FAIRPARK 2.4.16
Coldstream romped to a 94-point win over Fairpark in what was a dark day for the Lions who managed just two goals for the day.
Paul Wagner and Shannon Walsh lead the charge for Coldstream while Tanner Stanton played a lone hand on the scoreboard for Fairpark kicking both of the Lions goals.
SURREY PARK (7TH, 8-9) v GLEN WAVERLEY HAWKS (6TH, 9-8)
Two sides that will be disappointed to not be playing a part in finals action meet for their final game of the season.
Surrey Park’s finals hopes were officially put to bed last week in a gallant defeat to a red hot Donvale.
The Panthers late season for has been impressive and despite not making finals, they will be able to take a lot out of the year with some decent outings against quality opponents.
They will be hoping to end the season on a positive note and a last round win over Glen Waverley will see them do that and finish the year in sixth place.
Likewise, Glen Waverley will also be hoping to finish on the season on a high and a tight win over Fairpark last week ensured they come into this clash in positive spirits.
LAST TIME THEY MET:
ROUND NINE
GLEN WAVERLEY HAWKS 9.8.62 def. SURREY PARK 8.12.60
It was an absolute nail-biter in round nine with Glen Waverley holding off a fast finishing Surrey Park to take the points.
Gavin Cruse was the standout for the Hawks while Danyon Smart did his best to try and get Surrey Park over the line.
WHITEHORSE PIONEERS (3RD 12-5) v FORREST HILL (2ND, 12-5)
Viewers at Springfield Park will be in for a fascinating clash with the winner locking in a double chance in week one of the finals whilst the loser will face elimination final with either Kilsyth or Coldstream.
Forrest Hill will definitely come into this encounter as the form side of the two, winning four of its past five.
The Zebras 17.9.111 to 1.9.15 second half against Silvan last week was a scary outlook to how dominant they can be at their best with some momentum.
Whitehorse are in desperate need to regain some form if they to make any sort of impact over the next few weeks.
The Pioneers have managed just two victories in their past five games with the wins coming against Nunawading and Fairpark and last weeks 36-point loss to Coldstream was a disappointing performance.
LAST TIME THEY MET:
ROUND NINE
FORREST HILL 10.15.75 def. by WHITEHORSE PIONEERS 17.15.117
Whitehorse produced a terrific victory on the road back in round nine, coming away with a 42-point win.
Marcus Tipppett was the star, kicking five goals for the winners whilst a three-goal performance from Tim Johnston wasn’t enough to give the Zebras a look in.
SILVAN (9TH, 4-13) v NUNAWADING (10th, 0-17)
This week may be Nunawading’s best chance to finally taste victory after a very tough two-year stretch.
Another long season comes to an end for the Lions and they will be ken to give their fans something to cheer about and also give the club some momentum into next years pre-season.
Silvan will be shell-shocked after last weeks second half against Forrest Hill where they were absolutely dismantled in most aspects of the game.
However, heading into this clash the Cats will be able to draw on some positives from their first half performance that kept them within 15 points at the main break.
LAST TIME THEY MET:
ROUND NINE
NUNAWADING 9.14.68 def. by SILVAN 14.23.107
Although Silvan was too good for Nunawading, it was a much-improved performance from the Lions after countless huge defeats in the previous year and a half.
Andrew Knight and Jarrod Rowe were the best for Silvan while Ryan Hardy and Jason Kotis were brave in defeat.
KILSYTH (4TH, 10-6-1) v DONVALE (1ST, 14-3)
The equation is simple for Kilyth, beat Donvale this week and they are ensured a finals birth, lose and they risk Coldstream taking its spot.
The Cougars are in reasonable form and did what they had to do against Nunawading last week to prime itself for this week’s huge clash.
However, it will be a tough ask on Saturday against the premiership favourites in Donvale who have now won 10 on the trot.
The ladder leaders were challenged last week against Surrey Park but did enough to secure an 18-point victory.
Donvale’s star forward duo in Nick Murphy and Jack Purcell proved to be the difference once again, combining for nine goals between them.
A curveball for Magpies this week is the fact that this is their first away game since round eight so it will be interesting to see how the team responds to the change of scenery.
LAST TIME THEY MET:
ROUND NINE
DONVALE 19.16.130 def. KILSYTH 12.5.77
Donvale was a class above Kilsyth and were very convincing in the 53-point win.
Chris Sutherland dominated with the help of a five-goal haul from Nick Murphy while Callum Donaldson was the Cougars best performer with two majors to his name.
