Football
2 May, 2024
Swifts and Bombers face off in match of the round
When the 2024 Horsham District Football Netball League season began, the talk was about who would take it up to Harrow Balmoral, and the two teams that were on the lips of many face off in a mouth-watering clash.
The Swifts host Noradjuha Quantong at North Park in the match of the round. The Swifts have been winning games comfortably whilst an injury-hit Bombers have been putting wins on the board.
The Swifts are at full strength whilst the Bombers will be without running defender Wade Francis. Zac Kelly is ruled out and there are still question marks over Nigel Kelly and Damian Cameron who missed round three. They will welcome back Connor O'Beirne.
The key is to stop the Swifts potent forward line with Paul Summers kicking 27 goals in three rounds, so they will be hoping Nigel Kelly comes in as he would be the perfect matchup.
Swifts coach Brett Hargreaves is looking forward to the challenge.
"They will be one of the top teams this year so we are looking forward to testing ourselves and seeing how our gameplan stacks up," Hargreaves said.
"For the first time last week, we played consistently over four quarters and we need to continue to do that and if we do that it will put us in a good position to win."
Bombers coach Damian Cameron said it would be a good test.
"We kept a close eye on them over the summer as there was talk they picked up some new guys and were the danger team and they have shown that over the first three weeks," Cameron said.
"Unfortunately we have a few injuries and we will see who is available but with Paul Summers and Angus Murray up forward, we need to find a way to nullify them a bit whilst playing our game."
Pimpinio will look to go three from three when they host a Kalkee team that hasn't won a match yet. The Tigers are going well under new coach Guy Smith and the bye came at the right time for them as they were able to reset and get over any niggling injuries.
Kalkee, however, will like their chances in this match. Whilst they have struggled in the first three rounds, these two teams match up well with each other.
Kaniva Leeor faces a tough task when they travel to Rupanyup. The Panthers had a solid win last week and after losing their first match at home, they won't be wanting to lose their second.
Rupanyup's Lachlan Holm will play his first game and Cam Western should also be back after missing the game against Kalkee.
Rupanyup coach Brayden Ison said they won't take them lightly.
"They seemed to do well against Noradjuha Quantong, so it's hard to tell what to expect without seeing them, but we definitely won't be taking it lightly and expect a tough match," Ison said.
Natimuk has a daunting task against a Harrow Balmoral side that was clinical last week. They will need to find a way to stop Nick Pekin who returned from doing the Kokoda Trail to kick nine goals.
Harrow Balmoral coach Jai Thompson said they have some niggling injuries, but have players in the reserves who can step up.
"Brody Devlin has been impressing in his first year up from the Under-17s alongside Lachlan Stevenson and Tom Howe," Thompson said.
"So depending on who misses, if any of these guys play, we know they can play a role and it's good to have them putting their hands up for selection."
Laharum will look to get three in a row when they host Taylors Lake. It's an important match because one of these teams will be on three wins after four rounds, which will set them up for a potential finals berth.
Demons coach Shan Argall said their defence has been on point to the start of the year.
"If you look at our score lines, apart from round one, we haven't let many points through," Argall said.
"We have a well-coordinated back six/seven players that are working well together and we don't let uneccessary goals through."