Team Talk Rd 14 | The Courier | July 27, 2023
Transcript
00:00 Welcome to our Thursday night team talk. I'm David Breo and I'm joined by Edward Holland.
00:04 Good evening Edward.
00:05 Good evening David, how are you doing?
00:06 Not too bad. Round 14 in both the Central Highlands and Ballarat Football Leagues this
00:11 weekend. All the action of course focused on Saturday and we're getting closer and closer
00:17 to the finals. The clubs will say there's a fair bit to play out yet and there is but
00:22 you're just starting to feel four rounds left in the Central Highlands, five in the Ballarat
00:29 Football League but you're just getting a real sense that finals are just around the
00:34 corner now.
00:35 Yeah, we have blue skies today as well, almost that spring feeling in the air so it's almost
00:39 time looking forward to it.
00:40 Yeah, when you start cutting the grass and all the rest of it, that's finals time. Give
00:45 us first of all, just your match of the round.
00:47 Match of the round has to be Sevastopol and North Ballarat out at Marty Bush. That's I
00:51 guess top two hopes on the line in that clash.
00:53 Okay, in Central Highlands we've got Gordon, the reigning Premier at home up against the
00:59 high-flying Bungaree which at this point remain undefeated. I guess we should give an update
01:06 on what's been called Siren Gate. I'm not that keen on that tag but anyway it seems
01:11 pretty obvious but obviously a lot of people will know that the controversy that occurred
01:19 at the end of the Bungaree-Bunyong match last Saturday. A goal kicked right at the death
01:27 and that goal gives Bungaree the win. Bunyong claims that that goal was kicked after the
01:34 siren. They took it to the Central Highlands Football League. Their board unable to act,
01:40 make any change because they have no power to override the rules of the game so no change
01:45 there. And as we speak tonight on Thursday, Bunyong is still investigating whether they
01:53 can take it further and if they do, what's the process, what will it cost because there's
01:59 always a cost in appeals. So they're investigating that with the AFL Victoria at regional level
02:06 and we'll wait and see what happens there. But for the time being, the ladder shows that
02:12 Bungaree is unbeaten and Bunyong sits outside the top eight by two games. So that's just
02:20 an update there. But the big game, as I said just a few moments ago, Gordon against Bungaree.
02:27 This is one of the games we've been waiting for. Bungaree have done absolutely everything
02:32 right. They've taken everything before them. They haven't put a foot out of place and they're
02:39 locked in for finals. Not quite locked into the top four yet, amazingly, but they're locked
02:44 in for the finals and they should finish top four and get the double chance. But we've
02:48 been waiting for them to come up against Gordon and Hepburn and that's been the form line
02:53 that we've focused on all year with basically every team that's a contender. And of course
02:59 Carnham Linton, they've got those two coming up. So they're a good measuring stick, a yardstick
03:05 for where they sit. I think Gordon might just get home. They did drop their last home game
03:11 against Springback, but I think they might get home against the Demons in a close one.
03:18 Both sides not at full strength, still got a number of players to come back. Gordon do
03:23 have some key players coming back this week, including Gunnell, Sutcliffe and Graham, three
03:28 great additions. Bungaree, they have Max Lawless coming back into their combination after being
03:33 unavailable. So they'll pick up that player and Gordon certainly will be strengthened
03:39 by those three additions. So both sides will build over the next month. And while there's
03:45 a focus on the finals, you still got to worry about what's around the corner tomorrow. So
03:50 that's the big game. Let's quickly run through the rest of the round 14 on Saturday. Learmonth
03:55 at home to Dalswood. They're just a game outside the top eight, but they have a bye coming
04:01 up and that goes against them. No points for a bye. And I think they may just run out of
04:05 games, but that remains to be seen. But all they can do at the moment, the Lakeys is win
04:10 and they will beat Dalswood. Warbur at home to Belan. Is this Warbur's first win? I think
04:18 it can be. They've been bolstered by the return of a few players, including Brandon Green,
04:25 a key forward, a very strong marking forward, and he's been out for quite a while. So I
04:29 think Warbur will be celebrating, singing a song for the first time. They've got a draw,
04:33 of course, but no wins. And I think they'll get over just over Belan. Newland, we've already
04:38 mentioned Newland, the fact that they're just hanging on to the top eight ahead of Learmonth.
04:44 They need this win. They're up against Archer Ive or Creswick. Creswick won this battle
04:49 last year. I think Newland will be too strong, but Creswick will see an opportunity to cause
04:54 an upset and shape the top eight. Bunningong, a big game against Carnham Linton. Carnham
04:59 Linton hanging on in that race for the top four, double chance. I shouldn't say hanging
05:07 on, it may drop two games. But Bunningong, they showed last week, just forgetting which
05:13 way the result went, but they certainly put in a huge effort against Bungeree. So there
05:18 are real chance in this, but I think the Saints get home at Bunningong. Hepburn will defeat
05:24 Beaufort comfortably. Clunes, they unfortunately won't be good enough to get anywhere near.
05:30 Springbank, Springbank on a winning streak of 10, amazing. And Skipton are home to Rokewood
05:38 Corandap. Skipton, the Emus coming off a bye, they should win that, but they're certainly
05:42 two arch rivals that have played each other for many years through the Western Plains,
05:46 Lexton Plains days. So I think the Emus get that. So that's a quick summary of the Central
05:52 Holdens Football League Round 14. I've said enough. Over to you, Edward.
05:57 Yeah, so I guess quickly the big news.
05:59 Okay, that's a wrap. Well done.
06:01 Out of time. The big news out of the BFL today is Jackson Merritt, playing coach at East
06:06 Point, stepping down from his role at the end of the season and also unsure or not giving
06:12 too much away as to whether or not he's going to play on next year. So we'll have to see
06:15 how that unfolds for the Roos. You just said he's taking his toll on him, as we've seen
06:22 from a few coaches lately. It's just the work builds up and builds up and it all becomes
06:27 a little bit too much.
06:28 Did that catch you off guard? It's not something you're looking for, but do you think it came
06:34 from left field or do you think there's been a few signs?
06:37 Looking back to how busy he was every single time I spoke to him this season, that does
06:41 come as a surprise.
06:42 Work-wise.
06:43 Yeah, with work and with family as well. And he's also studying on top of all that. So
06:47 one of them had to go and he probably made the right call.
06:49 So they'd be pretty keen to keep him as a player. It'd be disappointing if they lose
06:52 him as a coach and a player, wouldn't it?
06:54 Yeah, well talking to some of the people at East Point, they were, like you said, disappointed
06:58 to lose him as a coach, but very, very keen, as you would be, to keep him on board as a
07:03 player next year. But his Roos go head-to-head with Ballarat and a win for East Point because
07:09 Redan has the buy-in would put them in the top six. So they kind of almost have to win
07:15 the rest of their games. Maybe they can afford to drop a few, or definitely not a few, but
07:21 maybe a loss here or there. But them and Redan and Sunbury are still locked in that heated
07:25 battle for the final two spots in the top six. But I mentioned before, the game of the
07:30 round is Sebastopol and North Ballarat. So Sam Glover is expected to hold, still working
07:35 his way back to VFL fitness. So he's good for the BFNL. And Arnold Kirby's actually
07:41 back for Sebastopol, his first game in over a month. So that's exciting for them. Last
07:45 time these two sides met was North Ballarat with a 30-point win. They escaped out late,
07:51 but it's kind of that win that announced them to the rest of the competition and their premiership
07:57 contenders. And since then, they've almost become the informed team of the competition.
08:02 Melbourne still sits two games clear on top, but they've got a red-hot winning streak and
08:06 looking like one of the teams to beat. Only four games of action this weekend with Sunbury,
08:12 Backsmarsh and Redan having the bye. So Dali hosting the Lakers. Dali will win that one
08:19 pretty easily. Last time they met, it was actually a scary injury to Karl Anderson,
08:23 which delayed the game by 40 minutes. And the last game of the round, Melton, yeah,
08:28 like I said, two games clear on top. Will Curry's pass Melton South? Aaron Timms admitting
08:33 he's going to rest a few of his boys for that clash. But yeah, all eyes...
08:38 Sorry, the derby. It has been in the past, unfortunately.
08:43 All eyes on Marty Bush for that Sebastopol-North Ballarat game for sure.
08:47 Okay. Nominated a winner? North Ballarat.
08:51 North Ballarat. Well, it depends if I'm there or not.
08:53 Wait a minute. Depends if I'm there or not.
08:55 No, what do you mean, "depends"? Sebastopol's 0-3 when I'm in attendance.
09:00 North Ballarat's actually 4-1. So if you want Sebastopol to get up,
09:03 you stay away. Yeah. So Michael Colombo has put a...
09:06 Are they stopping you at the gate? Yeah, he's put a...
09:09 Where's it at, Marty Bush? Blacklist, yeah.
09:11 Duck around the back, you can walk in. We'll see how we're looking.
09:15 So if Sebastopol wins, you'll know I wasn't there.
09:17 Right, okay. Excellent. Interesting.
09:20 Alright, I don't think I've quite put the hoodoo on anyone, but what I tend to be,
09:26 the way it tends to work out, I'm in the right place at the right time.
09:29 Yeah. Big story. So this week, I'll be at Gordon and Bungaree,
09:33 seeing Bungaree for the second week in a row, so we're live-streaming that game.
09:36 So what's in store there? Siren's working?
09:38 The siren's all loud and clear? It's a different round.
09:41 Different round, so it'll be right... I'm just following you.
09:43 No, different, it'll be...
09:44 If there's any more dramas, they'll be totally different. Right.
09:47 So, you know, you've got to have... Not the same thing.
09:49 I don't think we'll have any more siren gates.
09:51 So, no, we don't want any more of that.
09:53 But anyway, okay, that's Round 14.
09:56 I hope we've provided you with some information and light entertainment along the way.
10:02 So thanks for joining us, and we'll be back after Saturday's round
10:07 with all the big news out of both the Central Highlands and Ballarat Leagues.