Coorparoo Vs Alexandra Hills
The Coorparoo Kings will take on Alexandra Hills at Giffin Park on Saturday to open round 17 action in the State Association division one. Last week the Kings managed to push flag favourites UQ all the way and ended up sharing the points in the first draw of the year. This has been the first time the Red Lions have been tested in some weeks, and although Coorparoo were unable to come away with the win, their place in the top three is almost guaranteed. Former Morningside star Ben Gibson continues to impress as he collected best on ground honours. Cam Allen and Adam Minchev were the only multiple goalkickers on the day with the goals shared amongst 10 Coorparoo players. The Bombers will be dreading the thought of facing a team such as Coorparoo, as they suffered their fifth loss in a row last week. Kenmore had not been in the best of touch going into that game but they did enough to get over Alex by three goals. Ash Templar re-captured some early season form with six majors, while the ever consistent trio of Alex De Hayr, Craig Rusby and Fin McGrath all battled hard. Both sides are likely to remain in their current positions come finals time, but it is safe to say that Coorparoo won’t be taking their foot off the pedal as we reach the pointy end of the regular season.
Last time they met:
Coorparoo 14.12.96 def. Alexandra Hills 11.12.78
Aspley Vs Wynnum
Wynnum will travel to Graham Road on Saturday to face Aspley as they look to even the ledger from their round eight contest. On that day the Hornets were too strong and won by 24 points. The Vikings are still a game clear of Aspley on the ladder, but a loss here would see them slide down going into the final round. Last week highlighted Wynnum’s lack of ability to close out games as they leaked 12 goals in the second half to lose by 59 points to Yeronga. Up until half time the two sides were going goal for goal, but unfortunately the Vikings didn’t have the staying power to keep with the Devils. Ash Rodrigues was amongst the goals for the first time in a couple weeks, Chris Roy was a solid contributor, and both Scott Gillett and Ben Chalmers were also handy. The Hornets were again unable to play a full four quarters of football in the 29 point loss to Caloundra. Apart from a stretch in the second quarter where Caloundra virtually put the game out of doubt, the Hornets pushed the Panthers all the way, outscoring the premiership contenders in the second half. Goal sneak Chris Burdon was lively with another big haul of seven goals and small utility Dan Reeves was impressive in his best game of the year. The Hornets will welcome the return of Vice-Captain Andrew Green and influential centre half back Lachlan Harris and both will hope to make a big impression.
Last time they met:
Aspley 16.13.109 def. Wynnum 13.7.85
Yeronga Vs Robina
Yeronga have their eyes on third spot and will need a big win against Robina this week to climb the ladder before the finals. The Devils have been quite impressive over the past month and are now only half a game behind Coorparoo with two rounds to go. Last week they shut down on a fast starting Wynnum outfit to run away with a 10 goal win. Matt Lockyer has continued his brilliant season with another eye catching effort. Ex-Wilston Grange key target Mark Mills was clinical with four goals in a standout performance. The Roos will not be a walkover, however, as they put on a mammoth 31 goal effort last week to beat Kedron by 151 points. This was the biggest win of the year by any side, with the goals shared amongst 13 players. Jade Powe was best on ground with five goals in a dominant outing. Ash Vella and Zac Callinan both had four goals, while Jordan Miller was particularly handy for much of the game. The Devils won’t have it all their way and will need to be at their best to get over a side that is on the up and playing with nothing to lose.
Last time they met:
Yeronga 22.11.143 def. Robina 21.13.139
UQ Red Lions Vs Kedron
UQ will be keen to make up for the two lost points from their draw last week as they contribute to Kedron’s late season decline. The Red Lions would have been confident heading into last week’s game, but Coorparoo got the jump in the first quarter and were reeled in by UQ at half time. The second half was a similar story as both teams finished the game with the same amount of scoring shots and played out the first draw of the year. UQ forwards Hugh Millikan and Luke Wray will want some goalkicking practice heading into the finals and are sure to be lively and make life difficult for the Kedron back six. The Lions’ defenders were pushed to the extreme last week as they had over 200 points kicked against them. The huge effort from Robina took Kedron by surprise, and after a nine goal to two first quarter, the Lions never stood a chance. Kedron’s problems were not only in the back half, with the forwards unable to get any delivery within striking distance. Unable to score more than two goals a quarter, Kedron finished with seven for the game in a dismal effort. The Likes of Dan Duffield, Steve Rees and Alex Craft will need to fight with their backs against the wall if they are any hope of preventing another similar result this week.
Last time they met:
UQ 9.13.67 def. Kedron 6.6.42
Kenmore Vs Caloundra
Caloundra will be back in Brisbane this week to face Kenmore in the last game of round 17. The Panthers had a good win against Aspley last week with a dominant second quarter proving to be the difference. The six goal term shut the Hornets out of the contest and forced them to play catch up as the Caloundra tall’s did their thing. Shaun Clarke was useful in the ruck and around the ground, and Jake Weller piled on the contested marks to be amongst his side’s best. Barry O’Brien and Stewart Eastley were also big for the Panthers, as each finished with four goals. Dylan Wearmouth is hitting his straps at the business end of the season and was named best on ground for the third time in four weeks. Kemore will need the likes of Tim Plummer and Cam Stirling to play a big part in this one if they are to come away with the four points. Last week the Bears were able to shake off their form slump to record a win over fifth placed Alexandra Hills. Plummer and Stirling were massive contributors in the three goal win, as was Nick Lelasi and Steve Webster. It will certainly be a different game this week as Caloundra look to build for the finals, and a big effort will be required if Kenmore are to knock off one of the contenders for the flag.
Last time they met:
