IT’S a big week in sports across the world right now.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are taking on the Golden State Warriors in the NBA finals, there are a number of PGA tours on and it’s round eight of the South West Football League.
Okay, so maybe my comparisons are a little off, but I’m excited nonetheless.
Here are the round eight previews for all SWFL matches.
What a glorious win it was last week for the Bulldogs who came from behind late in the game to triumph over their bitter rivals the South Bunbury Tigers.
But I hope they cherished the moment, because it’s back to reality for the young Dogs against Busselton this week.
The Magpies have won their last two matches and seem to be in good form, an uphill battle for the Bulldogs who will need to carry over the confidence boost they received from their victory last week.
The Dogs young players shone in their win and will need to duplicate that performance against Busselton’s experienced and big-bodied side.
Players like Chris Kane and Jackson Arbon could have big games this week for the Magpies while Brent Hall should be able to monster any opponent he gets.
The Dogs will need to keep up with the Magpies fast movement and rebound with their own.
That means they will lean heavily on Kurt Tropiano, Brad Blake and Logan Giblett.
It’s a hard task for the confident Bulldogs, hopefully they can compete for a majority.
Prediction: Busselton by 46 points.
It’s hard to express just how impressive Donnybrook has been this season (apart from their loss to AMR) and their good form should continue against a questionable Tigers outfit.
I’ve harped on plenty about the Donnybrook midfield this week, and I’m about to harp on some more.
Every Dons player that regularly steps into the centre can impose themself on the game.
It came and went in waves last week when Simon Parry would have outbursts followed by strong patches of play from the likes David Roche and Hayden King.
If they can produce the same performance against the Tigers, it will be a big win for the Dons.
South Bunbury needs to counter their running attack with their own silky midfield.
They were without captain Matt Giacci last week which hurt them, but Damon Bull, Shaun Crane and Dylan Harper cannot be underestimated.
But the biggest challenge for the Tigers lies in stopping Jeff Smith.
Whoever gets the job will have their hands full with the dual Hayward medallist in cracking form.
It’s hard to go against Donnybrook at this point and I’m expecting a hefty win.
Prediction: Donnybrook by 55 points.
Despite the hype surrounding this match due to the Blackford/Murphy saga in the off-season, this should be a really entertaining game of football.
If there was an odds market for the SWFL, you’d probably pin these sides at just around even.
I’m tipping HBL, but I am having a hard time justifying my tip as I think Collie could come away with the points in front of their home crowd.
I think based on form, the Lions have gotten a little bit closer to wins in the past few matches.
But the big bodies of the physical Eagles side could outmuscle HBL and finish the game on top.
Both of these sides post decent forward lines and whichever one can dominate their opposing backline the most should win the match.
Ashley Thornton has been in ripping form for the Lions despite being in a losing side while Matt Michael has produced good performances for Collie.
This is one of the hardest matches I’ve had to tip in a while, so hopefully the Lions back me up here.
Prediction: Harvey-Brunswick-Leschenault by 3 points.
Both of these sides are coming off marginable losses in round seven and will be looking to bounce back.
Despite their 36-point defeat at the hands of Donnybrook, the Bulls were not disgraced.
But some injury clouds linger over them which could put them in bad shape for the coming match.
Dan Leishman is fighting a foot injury while Brett Lofthouse could be in doubt – arguably Harvey’s most important players.
AMR on the other hand have suffered two heavy losses in a row, but were in good form prior to the beatings.
The hidden gem in this match is the possibility that two former AFL-listed players may find themselves against one another.
The possible duel between Harvey’s Andrew McDougall and AMR’s Hamish Shepheard looms as a mouth-watering prospect.
Both players will be big factors to their teams’ chances.
I’m going to tip Harvey here as their form has been a bit better than AMR’s and the travel may take its toll on the Hawks.
Prediction: Harvey by 12 points.
To finish off a round of extremely attractive matches, this battle promises to be a terrific bout.
Eaton has been inconsistent this season and is yet to beat a quality side, while Carey Park has just the one loss on their record and is in strong form.
But despite their power as a side, Carey Park has shown patches of vulnerability.
In their round two match against Busselton the Panthers appeared a touch too slow in the second and third quarters before producing a solid fourth term to win the match.
Eaton’s best aspect is their pace and skilful use of the ball, which could expose Carey Park if the Panthers take a lackadaisical approach.
But they would need to keep that up through players like Blake Piggott and Chris Atthowe all game against quality opposition.
If Graham Jetta and fellow midfielders Kieran King and Chris Rintoul can match the Boomers’ pace, they should win the match, possibly by a comfortable margin.
Viv Blurton has been sidelined by injury lately and his possible return would mean a lot for Carey Park, while Dylan Garlett has also been playing good football.
This will be a classy matchup between two of the competitions premier sides, but Carey Park should be able to notch another win.
Prediction: Carey Park by 18 points.
