Ten down, six to go

Ten rounds down, six to go and it is time to draw breath, refresh and reassess as Wimmera Football League enjoys a bye this weekend.

For players still with finals aspirations it is a chance to rest weary bodies before a brutal run home towards a finals campaign where there is no clear premiership favourite.

Any of the top four sides would still believe on a given day they could hold the cup aloft.

Horsham made short work of Stawell last week. The Warriors flew out of the blocks and kicked the first two goals of the game, but this only spurred the Demons into action and they kicked the next 10 goals in a row to open up a 54-point lead at the long break.

Horsham looked every bit the premiership favourite and sliced Stawell open with precision and quick ball movement. The Warriors had no answers to the onslaught.

Questions had been asked about the Stawell side being too top heavy in the forward half, but last week the Warriors found themselves a tall short after Travis Graham missed with the flu and Brent Tuckey pinged a hamstring in the first quarter.

Horsham was led by defenders Jeremy Hartigan and Rhona Conboy, while midfielders Billy Lloyd and Jack Mentha were consistently in and under to give their forwards plenty of opportunities.

Stawell gets to take stock and ponder what went wrong. James Delahunty played a lone hand in the ruck while Sean Mantell and Tom Eckel tried hard, but in the end Warriors were swamped by the hard running Demons. After the bye, the Demons play Nhill and Dimboola before a top-ofthe-table clash with Minyip-murtoa, while Stawell travels to Dimboola prior to season defining games against ladder leader Minyip-murtoa and Warrack Eagles.

Hopes drowned

Ararat extinguished any hope Dimboola had of gaining a win last week with a powerful second quarter, booting eight goals to three to go in to half time 40 points in front.

The Rats welcomed back Jack Ganley and the livewire did not let them down with three majors. But it was young star Tom Mills who led the goal-kicking list with five majors for the afternoon.

Dimboola was led by Jayden Kuhne and Dylan Fuller, who both occupied the top spots on the goal-kicking list and the bestplayer vote cards, but they lacked enough team-mates in good form to push the Rats.

The 80-point win was Ararat’s second triumph of the year. The most pleasing aspect was the form of young stars Ganley, Riley Taylor, Grady Slocombe, Mills and Adam Haslett who all featured in the list of best players.

Next round, Dimboola will search for its first win of the season against a fired-up Stawell side, while Ararat makes the trip to Minyip to face the unbeaten Burra side.

It was not the first time this season Horsham Saints have struggled to kick goals against quality opposition and although they sit in the top five, they look a long way short of the other four contenders.

Minyip-murtoa split the game open in the second quarter with a six-goal haul and with key forwards Braydon Ison and Angus Trethowan hitting the scoreboard on regular intervals, the Saints had no answer.

Jacob O’beirne and Sam Clyne continue to be shining lights for the Saints, but unless there is a dramatic turnaround it is hard to see the Saints doing any damage in the finals.

Minyip-murtoa finds territory to last season.

The challenge for Damian Cameron and his hierarchy is to build form. In the final six weeks they face Horsham twice, and two losses will cost them top spot on the ladder. itself in familiar

Eagles fly

Warrack Eagles thrust themselves back into the top three and at the same time slipped a dagger in the heart of Nhill’s final-five hopes.

The Eagles flew out of the blocks with a six-goal first quarter and followed it up with another six to half time, while the Tigers were goal-less in the first and only had one to the long break and faced a 70-point deficit.

Jesse Murphy and Ryan Mckenzie led the way for the Eagles, while Nhill was best served by the slick Billy Hayes and Liam Albrecht.

Nhill faces the unenviable task of fronting up to Horsham next outing followed by its biggest game of the season against the Saints – lose that one and it’s well and truly season over as the Tigers will be three games outside the five with four to play.

Warrack Eagles have a couple of easy games before they front Stawell and the winner of that one might just secure itself a top three spot.