Last year’s finalists Lancaster and Murchison-Toolamba, Shepparton East, Nagambie and Stanhope again look the only sides capable of going all the way on what has transpired in the first half of the season.
In the last round reigning premier Lancaster split the flag fight wide open by taking the previously unbeaten Nagambie to the cleaners.
After some crushing wins including against Stanhope and Murchison-Toolamba in the first two rounds to start the season, Nagambie was emerging as a serious flag contender.
But Lancaster put a question mark on that prediction with its emphatic win.
Shepparton East is the only unbeaten side at this stage and boasts a narrow win over Lancaster in the second round. But it has yet to meet Stanhope, Murchison-Toolamba and Nagambie and Lancaster again, so will need to claim some of these scalps in the second half of the season to put its name up as a genuine flag hope.
Murchison-Toolamba’s only loss for the season so far was against Nagambie but it has current top six sides Tallygaroopna, Stanhope and Shepparton East to contend with in the run to the finals to show its premiership ambitions have plenty of foundation.
Stanhope made a sluggish start to the season, but in typical fashion has bounced back and should play finals again. But to be a genuine flag threat it needs to beat Shepparton East, Murchison-Toolamba, Nagambie or Lancaster to show it can match it with big boys come finals time. But history shows it can, so it can’t be discarded.
Digesting all this, the conclusion is that a full-strength Lancaster is still the measuring stick despite two narrow losses to sides that will play finals.
The Wombats have a lot of what a lot of other sides haven’t – depth. Just check what their reserves side have been doing and you’ll get the picture.
More than 10 players in their reserves can take the step up if needed at any time and probably hold their own.
Even in their last game against Nagambie, the Wombats had four players — Sam Spedding, Zaid Besim, Ricky Thompson and Keiden Coleman — all are regular senior players, sidelined with injury. They are sidelined for a variety of injuries, but are all expected to make their way back into the team before finals.
And when they faltered twice earlier in the season, match-winners in midfielder Cam Simpson and goal-kicking Jake Mills weren’t playing. But they are now as Nagambie discovered.
With the finals series reverting back to a six this year, the battle for sixth place looks to be up for grabs.
Tally currently occupies it but Longwood, Dookie United, Avenel and Merrigum are just a game behind and are ready to pounce, even though some of these sides aren’t likely to be up to it judging on what has been disclosed to date.
Saturday’s games: Girgarre v Lancaster, Dookie United v Undera, Merrigum v Avenel, Murchison-Toolamba v Tally, Stanhope v Longwood, Shepp East v Violet Town.
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