Round 19 Preview vs North Ballarat
23/08/2017
North Ballarat Roosters vs. Sandringham Zebras
Mars Stadium, Ballarat
1:00pm Saturday August 26, 2017
Last 5 – North Ballarat: 1, Sandringham: 4
Last Time They Met:
Round 4, 2017 – Sandringham 12.6 – 78 DEF North Ballarat 9.10 – 64
By Nathaniel Sage
Sandringham conclude their season this Saturday by making the trip over to North Ballarat to take on the Roosters from 1pm.
North Ballarat had a heartbreaking loss to the Lions by two goals last week, coming back from 39 points down to get ahead late in the final quarter. However, the Roosters let slip a golden opportunity to jump off the bottom of the ladder by allowing Coburg to kick the game’s final three goals.
Sandringham never looked switched on as they lost by 70 points to Richmond. The Zebras lost every quarter in a disappointing effort given their season was on the line, although the Tigers are a formidable side and showed their class throughout the game.
In what has been a disappointing season, the Zebras mediocre form since Round 5 sees them down to 12th on the ladder, the lowest they’ve been all season.
After starting the season so well – Sandringham sat in fourth after Round 5 with four wins and a single loss – the Zebras have fallen off and have had just three wins to go with nine losses since.
For the Roosters, they remain at the bottom of the ladder after falling to Coburg last week and Sandringham will be aiming to ensure the Roosters go home with the Wooden Spoon this season.
For the last time this season, let’s quickly analyse both sides’ run-ins to Saturday’s game.
Sandy were unable to keep up with the firepower of the Tigers at Punt Road Oval, and were never going to win allowing the opposition to put through 22 goals.
The clear standout for the Zebras on the weekend was Jack Lonie, who picked up 33 disposals – going at a tidy 70 percent efficiency – and kicked two goals. His highlights from the game can be viewed here.
Propelling many attacks forward was Bailey Rice, who was also very efficient with 19 touches at 95%.
Kade Answerth put in another strong effort, and he and Dylan Weickhardt have been admirable as they stepped in with the absence of captain Tom Curren this season.
A win beckoned for North Ballarat as they took it right up to second-bottom side Coburg last weekend. However, they were unable to seal the deal and come into this game needing a big win to jump off the bottom of the ladder.
Andrew Hooper (#12) starred for the Roosters and worked hard to finish with five goals, including a dynamic second quarter when he kicked three. Lachlan George (#9) also presented well up forward with three goals.
Around the ground, Luke Kiel, James Keeble and Ben Lusby all contributed well with 20+ disposals each. Also, the Roosters were soundly beaten in the ruck, and Jason Holmes and Tom Hickey will be looking to exploit that weakness on Saturday
So, after 18 rounds of football, both sides will look to finish the season strong despite the lack of finals football on offer. For Sandy, their strong start to the season probably provided some false hope, and their percentage tells the story of what has been a pretty bumpy ride this season.
The Zebras’ highlights would have to be Paddy McCartin’s bag of 7 goals through just over a half of football as they put the Magpies to the sword early in Round 3.
While it was against Coburg, the fightback in Round 5 to secure a win in their first game away from TBBO for the season was exciting.
And, later in the season, the upset win over Port Melbourne followed by a strong win over Geelong, both away from home, provided Sandy fans with some promise for the future.
Both Sandy and North Ballarat are playing without any pressure in this final game, so look for it to be a back-and-forth affair as two proud clubs look to finish the season strong.
The Development team defeated Coburg by 17 points over the weekend and have a bye in the final round. They currently sit in 4th but will be waiting on the results from other games to see if they make the finals this season.
Sandy’s Twitter and Facebook are active on gamedays with score updates and stats so follow them for regular score updates and quarter-by-quarter stats.
Team Selection
B: 61. D. Joyce, 68. B. Miller, 13. J. Noone
HB: 75. B. Rice, 20. E. Le Grice, 9. M. Cook
C: 70. D. McKenzie, 2. K. Answerth, 39. E. Phillips
HF: 1. D. Weickhardt, 36. J. Battle, 7. C. Rich
F: 62. R. Connellan, 77. R. Marshall, 71. L. Pierce
R: 69. J. Holmes, 63. N. O'Kearney, 34. B. Long
Int: 11. J. Matera, 46. R. Hayward, 32. J. Lonie, 35. H. Brayshaw, 3. L. Verma, 16. M. Hayes, 95. K. Stevens, 79. M. Weller, 21. J. Fox, 90. J. Steele, 65. B. White
23P: 42. L. Batten
In: R. Hayward, K. Stevens, J. Steele, B. White, B. Miller, J. Matera, B. Long, L. Batten, L. Verma, M. Weller
Out: B. Bailey, T. Hickey, A. Sakeson