Believe it or not, the 2022 Federal Election is not the only contest in town this weekend, with some of the region’s top sporting sides battling it out.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
The Shepparton Gators will be seeking revenge at the Swamp, the winless Goulburn Valley Suns will try and get their season back on track and both the men’s and women’s Central Victorian League sides will be looking to continue their bright starts to the year.
For the Gators, Saturday night’s game is about more than just getting the win — it’s about revenge.
Shepparton will welcome Warrandyte to the Sports Stadium in round nine Big V basketball division one men’s action, with the game a rematch of the round one contest that saw Warrandyte pick up a one-point win.
Gators coach Josh Waight said the next few games were important if the side was to remain at the top end of the ladder.
“It’s a really important game for us, they got us in the first round this year so we’d really like to rectify that and show that we’ve come a long way and improved,” Waight said.
“They’re a really well-drilled side and they’re a seasoned side, they’ve played together for a while so we need to make sure we come ready to play.”
Waight said the Gators learnt a lot from the one-point loss, with the game an eye-opener for the team.
“We took plenty away from it so we want to show them what we’ve learnt and hopefully we can get another win in front of our home crowd,” Waight said.
With the Gators hungry for revenge, Saturday’s game is set-up to be a thriller. Tip-off is at the Shepparton Sports Stadium is 7pm.
If afternoon action is more your flavour then look no further than McEwen Reserve, with the Goulburn Valley Suns returning to the Theatre of Dreams for a second week in a row.
The Suns, who have had anything but a dream start to the NPL Two season, will be looking to pick up their first win of the campaign against Kingston City.
Hampered by injuries, the Goulburn Valley side is far from achieving its promotion goal set out in pre-season and will be desperate to pick up three points on Saturday.
Their opponents for the weekend, Kingston City, fell to the ladder-leading North Geelong Warriors 3-1 last week and will be a tough opponent.
Kick-off on Saturday afternoon is at 3pm, with the under-21s kicking off at 1pm.
The Suns are not the only soccer side in action at McEwen Reserve this weekend, with Shepparton South playing on Sunday.
South, who remains undefeated in the Central Victorian League’s league one men’s competition, will welcome third-placed Strathdale at 3pm on Sunday, with the Shepparton side coming off a close 3-2 win last week.
Shepparton United will be aiming to make it two wins in a row when it travels to Eaglehawk at 6pm on Saturday, while Tatura will take on Spring Gully away from home on Sunday, with the Ibises continuing to perform well.
In the league one women’s competition, Shepparton United will be aiming to continue its good patch of form against Strathfieldsaye Colts United, with kick-off at the Strathfieldsaye Recreation Reserve at 11am on Sunday.
Meanwhile Tatura’s league two women’s team will face a lengthy road trip to Swan Hill, with the table-topping Ibises battling the winless Swan Hill on Sunday at noon.