Kedron are at home to the UQ Red Lions on Saturday to open proceedings for round eight in the State Association division one. The Lions had another good win against Robina last week to move them into fourth spot on the ladder, the highest they have been so far this season. Lee Fazackerley was again amongst Kedron’s best, while Ben Langham and Kane Balmforth booted nine goals between them. UQ are two games clear of the Lions but will be well aware of their recent form. The Red Lions were able to get over a determined Coorparoo outfit in round seven by five points. Charles McKay was the best afield, while Hugh Millikan had a day out, kicking eight goals. Ex-Wilston Grange half forward Brad Percy was a welcome addition, finishing with seven majors of his own.
The Alex Hills Bombers are up against Coorparoo at Keith Surridge Oval with a win needed to secure their continued place in the top two. The Kings have been improving admirably over the past month, with last week being no exception. Their one goal loss to the highly rated UQ Red Lions shows that they can match it with the best, so the Bombers will need to come out all guns blazing. Ben Gibson and Jake Waters have been in fine touch for Coorparoo of late, while Ben Cowan continues to impress. The Bombers were able to have another win last week against Kenmore, with mister consistent Ash Templar putting five goals on the scoreboard and the two Michael’s, Spillane and Walker, running riot around the ground. The ladder positioning and wins for the year may be misleading, but this game is sure to be a tightly fought contest.
The Aspley Hornets will travel over to Kianawah Road to take on Wynnum as they look to forget about their big loss to the reigning premiers last week. The 99 point loss to Caloundra was a disappointing result for a team that had been competitive for the majority of all contests so far this season. David Wilson tried hard all day at full back, while debutant Chris Rolfe showed some promise in the forward line, taking solid contested marks and bobbing up for two much needed goals. They will be facing a red hot Wynnum team who will be full of confidence following their four goal win over Yeronga. Rob Baumgartner was close to best on ground, bagging seven goals in a brilliant display. Ash Rodrigues also continued his recent goal flurry with another three majors.
Caloundra will face Kenmore at North Street Oval on Saturday, hoping to keep their winning streak alive and stay firmly on top of the ladder. Last week the Panthers were in great touch, particularly through the middle of the ground. Ruckman Shaun Clarke was giving his midfielders first use at every stoppage, with Mitch Hyde capitalizing on the service with great delivery into the forward 50. Brent Dickson also finished with four goals in a solid performance. Skipper Matt Clarke may need to take his opposite number this week, with competition leading goal scorer and Kenmore Captain Tim Plummer in outstanding form of late. He kicked another four last week and, with Tom Baldwin, was his sides best in a disheartening 40 point loss to Alex Hills. They won’t have it easy against a Caloundra side that is gelling quickly, while North Street Oval is becoming a venue that opposition teams are dreading to travel to.
Robina are at home to a Yeronga outfit that will definitely want to avenge the upset loss to Wynnum in round seven. Although Paul O’Brien kicked seven goals and Shane McGrath was again useful, the Devils went down by 23 points to lowly ranked Wynnum. The Roos are also coming off a tough loss, suffering a 109 point belting at the hands of Kedron. Aaron Kidney was solid again, while Ryan Hudson was Robina’s best. The performances shown by Robina in the past two weeks have been significantly subpar and changes will need to be made if they are to get close to Yeronga who, at their best, will be able to match any side in the competition.
