Roos enjoy top billing as Giants plan victory
Harrow-balmoral has until Saturday to enjoy the trimmings of ladder leadership in Horsham District football before Southern Mallee Giants leapfrog the Roos with victory over Rupanyup.
Harrow-balmoral secured top spot with a comprehensive win over southwest rival Edenhope-apsley last week while the rest of the competition had a bye.
The game at Harrow reflected a big day of sporting action where the Southern Roos celebrated a 20-year merger anniversary with 66-point success and a West Wimmera Shield.
Jandre Slabbert was a standout in defence for the winners and others such as Nick Pekin, Hamish Ellis and Rob Mackinnon won best-player votes as Eric Guthrie kicked three goals in a return game.
The Saints were far from disgraced and simply overwhelmed with Matt Butler, Dale Smith and James Rowe doing well against the flow.
The Roos and Giants are now racing neck and neck at the top of the table with the Giants set to travel to Rupanyup where fans expect the northern force to win comfortably.
Big forward Kain Robins has 54 goals against his name from seven games, bagging six pointers at an average of almost eight a game.
He, Brock Orval and Sam White, who are also among the goals, are major threats to the Panthers.
Rupanyup’s one win from seven games this season so far suggests the Panthers will trouble the visitors.
Storm on the edge
Jeparit-rainbow sits on the heels of the Giants and Roos with a 6-1 record and a run of victories leading into a clash against Noradjuha-quantong at Jeparit.
The Storm will chalk up another win and remain the primary challenger to the top two teams.
Shane Maslin has been more than a handy inclusion for the Storm this year and with Peter Weir and the Clugston clan of Ash, Heath and Simon going well it’s hard to the see the visiting Bombers, despite a win last game, making too much of an impression.
Noradjuha-quantong has a developing young side and is gradually growing in stature.
Two games sure to create plenty of interest is a clash between Natimuk United and Swifts at Natimuk and a Laharum contest against Kalkee at Laharum.
All combatants are locked with Edenhope-apsley on 16 points in what looms as an intriguing wrestle for top-six spots.
Swifts are clinging to fourth place by percentage from Natimuk United, which stumbled against Kalkee last outing, with the Saints, Kees and Laharum bunched like a midfield peloton.
Kalkee produced perhaps the surprise result in the round before last week’s bye with Rams.
The result might provide the incentive Kees coach Hamish Exell has been seeking while providing a wakeup call to Sam Anson’s United outfit.
Swifts fell short against Jeparit-rainbow but were competitive, while Laharum enters the game after a heavy loss to the Southern Roos.
While the top and midfield teams try to sort each other out up the ladder it will be a case of game-on for Pimpinio and Taylors Lake at Pimpinio.
Both teams are competition stragglers and Saturday’s contest represents the best chance either has so far of registering a win.
At the moment the Lakers are sitting above the Tigers by percentage. victory over the