At this point of the season it seems to be 4 tiers of talent in Division 2. We have Pakenham Silverbacks on tier 1 dominating at 7-0, Bendigo Dragons are very close on tier 2 after almost pulling off a win against the league leaders. The Dragons draw against the Raiders stops me from putting them on the same level as Pakenham, but only just. Tier 3 has the Barbarians after a slow start and Raiders after 3 drawn games. Ballarat Falcons, Gippsland Gladiators and Melton Wolves sit on the 4th Tier after all playing out very close results. The falcons have 3 wins but are no means a higher quality outfit than their bottom of the table counterparts. They do however know how to win the close one.
Bring on Week 9!!!
DIVISION 2
Saturday August 13th – Namatjira Reserve, South Clayton – 10:30am
- Melton Wolves (Last Place, 1-6) vs Pakenham Silverbacks (1st Place, 7-0)
- Last Time: Week 2, 2016: Silverbacks 50, Wolves 0
Last time the Wolves traveled to Officer one player had his car impounded and another turned up late. Hopefully this time nothing goes wrong for the men from Melton. Unfortunately they face league leaders Pakenham in what should be their 8th win of 2016. The Wolves appear to be missing some starters and raw talent due to injury for this one (Myself included. Not that I have talent) which will make it even harder for them to keep it close. If the Wolves can hold the Silverbacks to under 30 points, that will be a win for them. The Green machine will keep on rolling.
Prediction: Silverbacks 36, Wolves 0
Saturday August 13th – DR Atkinson Reserve, Reservoir – 3:00pm
- Monash Barbarians (5th Place, 3-3) vs Bendigo Dragons (2nd Place, 4-2-1)
- Last Time: Week 2, 2016: Dragons 44, Barbarians 0
The Barbs find themselves outside the top 4 due to having the bye last week. Unfortunately I see it staying that way when they come up against the stand out 2nd best team. The Dragons fell painfully short last week and will be looking to stamp their authority in this one early. This is my game of the week if the Barbarians can continue improving. The biggest question in this one is, will Thomas Prince have a target on his back after his Power rankings of late? Maybe not in this game but definitely in games to come, stay tuned.
Prediction: Dragons 26, Barbarians 22
Saturday August 13th – DR Atkinson Reserve, Reservoir – 6:30pm
- Northern Raiders (3rd Place, 2-2-3) vs Gippsland Gladiators (6th Place, 1-5-1)
- Last Time: Week 2 2016: Raiders 8, Gladiators 8
No draw to speak of this week for the team from Reservoir, last time these 2 teams met this was the case. The Raiders looked better offensively last week but gave up points and rushing yards to the last placed Wolves on defense. They won’t want to let that happen against a team that would not be happy with their recent performances. The Gladiators lost a game they had a firm grip on at half time. They led their rival falcons 12-0 but were over run by the spirited team from Ballarat and lost 13-12. Unfortunately I see the losing continuing for the Glads.
Prediction: Raiders 18, Gladiators 8
