Benchmark games in district football
Every now and then a country football contest emerges on the immediate horizon that gets footy fans excited with anticipation.
It’s often a potentially defining game that provides the catalyst for a powerful run to the finals later in the year.
Horsham District football fans are lucky to have not only one, but two games that qualify as season-defining contests this weekend.
One is at Harrow, where HarrowBalmoral finds itself in the front of a queue of teams that have been testing themselves against Noradjuha-quantong.
The other is at Rupanyup, where the unbeaten home side takes on unbeaten Kalkee in what looms as a monster contest.
A quick glance at the league ladder shows Noradjuha-quantong, Rupanyup and Kalkee runaway leaders, two games clear of Swifts, Harrowbalmoral and Jeparit-rainbow, with top spot seemingly up for grabs.
Noradjuha-quantong has been generating plenty of discussion as an emerging force and went a long way to confirm the speculation with a comprehensive win over Jeparit-rainbow last week.
Perhaps the biggest game of the two standouts this week will be the contest at Rupanyup. Both sides appear to be flying through the season and flexed their muscles in no uncertain terms against lesser opponents last weekend.
Rupanyup goes into the game after a thumping 129-point victory over Pimpinio.
The Panthers revealed their potency in the opening term at Pimpinio last week, kicking 9.7 to no score and in the end had 11 goal kickers, with onfield leader Jack Musgrove kicking seven. Elliot Kelly, Niewands Brett and Scott, and Cameron Weston were among conspirators leading the Panthers charge.
At the same time Kalkee crunched Taylors Lake by 69 points, familiar ball-winners Pat Purcell, Louis Papst, Hamish Exell and Jasper Gunn all shining as Jayden Kuhne bagged six goals.
This clash between the Panthers and Kees will be a ripper.
Noradjuhda-quantong would have maintained its stores of confidence last week, especially after establishing more than a five-goal lead against Jeparit-rainbow by half time.
In the end, the Bombers beat the Storm by 52 points, James Gregg and Jye Walter standouts with three goals each and Jack Vague and Dawson Cross continuing a fine run of form.
The Bombers meet a Harrow-balmoral side that dispatched Natimuk
United to the tune of 73 points, Simon Close and James Staude kicking six goals each in the win as Tom Conheady, Will Plush and Ethan Appleton impressed.
The Bombers will have it tough at Harrow but the game appears poised to go either way.
Swifts is on equal points with Harrow-balmoral and the Storm would be keen to get a break on chasers by beating Taylors Lake.
The Baggies were too good for Laharum last week, eventually winning by 42 points on the back of strong performances from Scott Carey, Jakob Salmi and Brett Hargreaves.
Todd Matthews also kicked goals in the win.
Taylors Lake has the luxury of being home and will need to work on the promise it showed in the first half against the Kees and continuing repeat efforts from Trae Martin, Koby Westfour erland, Billy Finnigan and four-goal Lee Marshall.
Jeparit-rainbow will want to return to the winners list and keep pace with Swifts on the ladder when it meets Kaniva-leeor United.
The Storm comes up against a Cougars team which secured a comprehensive 52-point win over Edenhopeapsley.
Liam Feder produced an eye-catching seven-goal game for Kaniva-leeor United, Ethan Councillor kicked five and Jonty Brown collected votes as the Cougars seized control of the contest in the second half.
Jeparit-rainbow leaders would have been disappointed with a lean fourgoal return against the Bombers last week, although Tyler Edelston, Scott Driscoll and Shane Maslin impressed enough to win votes.
Competition will be no less intense at the bottom end of the ladder where Pimpinio, desperate for an ice-breaking win, meets Laharum, searching for a second victory.
There is a sense Laharum only needs cards to fall its way to claim a significant victory while Pimpinio appears up against it week in, week out.
Last week it was Brett Ervin, Tom Crawford and Shannon Reddie leading votes for Laharum while Tigers Daniel Baker, Dylan Arnott and Liam Jakobi raged against the Panthers machine.