Week 1 done and dusted.

Time for week 2.

Saturday 24th June, DR Atkinson Reserve, Reservoir – 1:00pm

Northern Raiders (1-0) V CCU (0-1)

Last time they met: Raiders 8 – CCU 43 (Championship game)

Both teams come off indifferent starts to the season. The Raiders were very strong defensively against Bendigo and CCU are in no way the powerhouse they were last year, losing to the Crusaders II.

The Raiders will need to be as tough defensively this week as they were last. LB #40 Nathan Nicalou will hope to add to his Fumble recovery TD and LB/DB #23 Daniel Strangis will be defending the pass, looking for another pick 6.

With a loss to the Crusaders the boys at CCU find themselves in unfamiliar territory, losing a game. CCU will be looking for their first win of the season. It’s going to be a year of rebuilding and learning with a chance for a few wins for the men in green.

Prediction – Raiders 22 – CCU 8

Sunday 25th June, Alfredton Oval 2, Ballarat – 10:30am

Melton Wolves (0-1) v Bendigo Dragons (0-1)

Last time they met: Wolves 0 – Dragons 40

The Dragons were travelling quite well against the Raiders last week but unfortunately due to some mistakes and a tough Raider Defense, they couldn’t get the win. New QB #33 Thomas Prince was replaced late in the game by #3 Lucas Elliston but it was too late to turn the game around. Defensively the Dragons were solid, allowing only 1 Offensive TD. It was the Offense that let the Dragons down with crucial turnovers in great field position. They hope to get back on track this week against a Wolves Defense that did not allow Ballarat to get their running game going at all.

The Wolves suffered a 1 point loss to Ballarat. In a game full of penalties, the Wolves were solid. The power running of RB #46 Sikaleti Mataafa and the scrambling of QB #7 Matthew Krul threatened to overtake the Falcons lead. They will need to build on this if they want to get past Bendigo and record their first win of the year.

Prediction – Wolves 18  – Dragons 20

Sunday 25th June, Alfredton Oval 2, Ballarat – 2.00pm

Ballarat Falcons (1-0) v Monash Barbarians (0-0)

Last time they met: Falcons 12 – Barbarians 34

The Barbarians had the week off but have always been a solid team. They hope to build on that this week when they face Ballarat, who are high on confidence after their 1 point victory over Melton.

The Ballarat passing game was impressive, they would like their running game to compliment it. WR #81 Eddie Carey was damaging as was RB #21 Peter McKay who gained significant YAC (Yards After Catch) including a score. Defensively the Falcons were good against the pass but their run defense was tested by the Wolves. They will need to improve against the run coming up against an experienced Barbarian outfit.

This game should have lots of passing which will make it very entertaining to watch.

Prediction – Falcons 20 – Barbarians 28

BYE – Crusaders II