By Chris ‘Yeendy’ Yeend
We’re almost at the mid-way point of the 2023 QAFL Senior Men’s competition as we hit Round 10 with near-perfect weather to grace the competition.
Wilston Grange and Morningside headline the list of blockbusters this weekend with the new and improved Wilston Grange team welcoming back Matt Eagles after its win over Broadbeach last weekend and Morningside enjoying the benefit of the Brisbane Lions bye in the VFL with Jackson Hille and Wylie Buzza in the team. This game is must-see.
Let’s not forget Redland Victoria Point and Labrador that promises to be a major contest alongside Aspley hosting Palm Beach Currumbin to form a triple main event this weekend that cannot be missed.
MT GRAVATT v NOOSA
Mt Gravatt key ins
Wyatt Greenaway, Brayden O’Dea
Mt Gravatt key outs
Jackson Griffiths and Kaiden Corboy
Noosa key ins
Malachi Owens, Tyler Stack, Ryley Buntain
Noosa key outs
Tait Niddrie, James Magner, Cooper Ogden
SUMMARY
Mt Gravatt showed a lot of promise in its loss to Palm Beach Currumbin last weekend on the road. The additions of Wyatt Greenaway into the backline and Brayden O’Dea in the forward line adds a lot more strength and durability to the make up of the entire line-up.
Noosa showed that its previous two wins were not flukes and pushed Redland Victoria Point deep into the game at home in Round 9. This shows already that a solid foundation has been built and confidence is running high through the entire team.
The Northern Tigers regain Malachi Owens, Tyler Stack and Ryley Buntain to its start 18 and that forms a key core of its best 22 for the season. Buntain is still one of the best defenders in the competition and Stack adds some grunt and class across half forward and through the midfield. Owens has made a strong impression in his maiden season with the club.
This will be a highly competitive contest and both teams are most capable of making finals if the cards fall correctly. Noosa is starting to build some momentum and a win on the road will continue to highlight that as we already know that Mt Gravatt is a threat.
If Maroochydore beats Broadbeach (6th – 18pts); the winner from this game will see that the door is well and truly open for finals.
WILSTON GRANGE v MORNINGSIDE
Wilston Grange key ins
Matt Eagles, Jack Campbell, Tahj Abberley, Bailey Gordon
Wilston Grange key outs
Jake Fazldeen, Hugo Thew, Jess Budarick, Taylor McCubbin
Morningside key ins
Wylie Buzza, Keegan Downie, Jackson Hille, Wilson Barry, Darcy Cameron-Reeves, Cedric Cox
Morningside key outs
Mitch Robinson, Frasier Lay, Charlie Cole, Judd Zeidler, Cade Scott, Flynn O’Toole.
SUMMARY
This match is money. Both teams play an attacking and exciting brand of football that will be enjoyed by the most neutral of football fans.
Wilston Grange enjoyed a remarkable win on the road to Broadbeach last week and a testament to how far this group has improved; the victory made sweeter without co-captain Matt Eagles in the team.
Eagles does make his return and brings some good friends with him. Bailey Gordon is riding high from his maiden VFL goal for the Brisbane Lions last week. Tahj Abberley has been unlucky across most of the VFL season in that he has been listed as an emergency and received the late call up. When he does play, he is in the Lions’ best 22 with his silky left-foot kicks and hard-ball gets. Jack Campbell comes in to add some quality to the line-up.
Morningside had a disappointing loss last week to Labrador on the road. In a pulsating game, the Southern Tigers snuck away late. The team will be without Mitch Robinson (inj.) but it gains back some enormous quality with Wylie Buzza (Brisbane VFL) and Keegan Downie adding some quality up forward. The pair combined for 11 goals in an earlier season win over Mt Gravatt.
Jackson Hille was rewarded with his 31 possession effort in Round 8 with a guernsey for the Lions last week and made it count. He returns alongside the talented Wilson Barry, Darcy Cameron-Reeves and Credric Cox.
While not playing in this game; congratulations to 16-year-old Jake Fazldeen on his debut last week and contributed 2 big goals to help guide the team to victory.
Pick a winner at your peril. This is the battle of third and fourth with just percentage separating the pair. The winner will open up a handy buffer in the top third of the ladder and with big names returning for both teams; you won’t get a bigger and more important game than this one this weekend.
REDLAND VICTORIA POINT v LABRADOR
Redland Victoria Point key ins
Silivelio Lemana-Pakau, Josh Brown,
Redland Victoria Point key outs
Aaron Christensen, Caleb Franks
Labrador key ins
Harry Law
Labrador key outs
Lachlan Henderson
SUMMARY
The Sharks held off Noosa last week and the Southern Tigers pushed away to a big win over Morningside. This is a massive game for the visiting team who just need a big scalp to really solidify themselves as a contender and start to kick down to the door of the top six. The upside for them is that the Sharks have lost two on the bounce at home and it creates some uncertainty.
The Sharks have strengthened its forward line with Lemana-Pakau and Brown returning to the team at the expense of some speed and grunt in the midfield with Christiansen and Franks coming out. This game will be won in the forward line with the midfield set to be hotly contested possession football; so in a sense, it’s a move that might work out well for them.
Labrador will miss Lachie Henderson through a hamstring injury but replace him with Harry Law who returns from his own injury and will add some spark and presence around the forward half of the ground.
This will be a tough contest to see where both teams are at. The midfield will be quite balanced; and the forward line talls at either end will have impacts; so it will come down to the speed at half-forward.
There is a lot to like about the potential that Labrador has between the arcs; where-as Redland Victoria Point already have it and that will be the key to unlocking a winning formula.
MAROOCYDORE v BROADBEACH
Maroochydore key ins
Lochie O’Toole, Brad McDonald, Harrison Kerr
Maroochydore key outs
Tom O’Leary, Zac Stone, Ty Gallop
Broadbeach key ins
Sam Banks-Smith, Jasper Shoenmaker, Shawn Watson, Riley Bowman
Broadbeach key outs
Blake Erickson (susp), Kasey Nicholas (inj), Taine Dawson (inj), Adam Hull.
After winning the rising star after an impressive performance last week; Ty Gallop comes out of the team for Maroochydore in a must-win game. The team will welcome back O’Toole, McDonald and Kerr, with the latter to add some strength and mobility through the midfield and forward half of the ground.
Broadbeach can’t take a trick with key backman and smokey for the Grogan medal, Kasey Nicholas out injured alongside promising young gun Taine Dawson. It has arguably the second worst injury list in the competition, and injuries to key stars for longer stints on the sidelines.
The Cats welcome back some height into the team with Shawn Watson and Riley Bowman returning to the line-up which will add some greater advantage to the team over their opposition.
This is a must-win game for both teams. The Roos can still make the six and a win over Broadbeach, ironically the team that needs to lose to unlock the key that gives the five teams below it a chance to make finals. A lot has to go right for the Roos to make finals and looking at its list; its best is a top six team.
Broadbeach, with injuries and players moving in the off-season; has just six players that played in its starting 22 for the 2022 Grand Final that will line up this weekend – Riley Bowman, Lucas Jellyman-Turner, Cody Harrington, Jonah Semmlar, James Gledhill and Sam Jasper. This is extraordinary.
The result of this game is not only massive for the winning team; but for the rest of the competition.
SHERWOOD v SURFERS PARADISE
Sherwood key ins
Bruce Reville, Elijah Glass, Owen Collins, Josh Cooper, Jett Clarke, Zack Bidgood,
Sherwood key outs
Tom Carey, Will Radcliffe, Deng Arok, Ryleigh Utting, Ashley Davidson, Owen Capling
Surfers Paradise key ins
Ray Leonard, Nick Harrison, Jack Brauman, Anthony Stewart
Surfers Paradise key outs
Brody Haberfield, Josh Hall, Noah Bradshaw, Harrison Ireland
SUMMARY
Surfers Paradise is one of the teams to beat this season outside the top two and it’s coming in hot after a thrilling win over the Roos last weekend.
The team is missing some key talent from that game, headlined by key backman Brody Haberfield but do get some key talent in with Nick Harrison the pick of the bunch.
For the first time this season; the Pies have zero forced changes. Not a single player went down with an injury last week in the loss to Aspley; and a week where the biggest injury list in all of Queensland football didn’t have any additions.
The Pies will be a sneaky outside chance at home with Bruce Reville, Elijah Glass and Owen Collins returning to the team on the back of a bye in the Brisbane VFL team. The trio headline six changes in the team that add more grunt and skill around the ball that might just have the Demons looking of their shoulder.
As hot as the Matt Lappin coached Surfers Paradise is; Sherwood is prone to cause an upset or two across the last few seasons and this one could be a sneaky possibility to go down that path.
Surfers Paradise could win this comfortably; but Sherwood could sneak over the line in a thriller.
ASPLEY v PALM BEACH CURRUMBIN
Aspley key ins
Jackson Allen, Coen Harker, Lachlan Rayner,
Aspley key outs
Ryan Banks-Smith, Tom Watson, Tom Templeton
Palm Beach Currumbin key ins
Cam Vinall, Tierone Cuffe, Tai Hayes, Hunter Hall,
Palm Beach Currumbin key outs
James Frawley, Frazer Neate, Liam O’Brien, Thomas Thynne
SUMMARY
What a contest this promises to be. Aspley did everything it needed to in its win over a spirited Sherwood last week; a team that pushed it early. Jackson Allen, Coen Harker and Lachy Rayner return to the team with Banks-Smith, Watson and Templeton coming out. Allen returning adds some good strength in the back half of the ground.
Palm Beach Currumbin miss a few key stars headlined with James Frawley and captain Tommy Thynne coming out while Tierone Cuffe gets his chance after working his way through the Reserves. The former dual Sunbury Kangaroos premiership player will look to make a mark in Queensland football after his well-known father Jamie dominated Victorian football for decades.
This will be a tough, gruelling game of football and the winner won’t kick 14 goals. This is a great test for both teams.
LADDER
1 – Aspley (30 – 214.99%)
2 – RVP (24 – 137.88%)
3 – Wilston Grange (20 – 120.18%)
4 – Morningside (20 – 102.21%)
5 – PBC (20 – 89.59%)
6 – Broadbeach (18 – 107.41%)
7 – Surfers Paradise (16 – 110.46%)
8 – Labrador (16- 101.00%)
9 – Mt Gravatt (12 – 81.92%)
10 – Maroochydore (8 – 82.34%)
11 – Noosa (8 – 77.11%)
12 – Sherwood (0 – 54.56%)
