THROW out all the hype because the South West Football League 2014 season has finally arrived and will kick off this weekend with five great match ups across the league.
There aren’t many better ways to kick off a season than a match under lights between two highly touted clubs and that is exactly what the SWFL has provided with South Bunbury taking on Carey Park in a stand-alone Saturday night matchup.
Donnybrook will take on Augusta-Margaret River at VC Mitchell Park in an interesting battle while Bunbury and Harvey-Brunswick-Leschenault will renew their rivalry.
Busselton will take on a new look Harvey Bulls side at Bovell Park and the grand final rematch between Eaton and Collie is sure to be big one.
It’s your team’s first chance to grab some premiership points so without further ado, here are your first match previews for the 2014 season.
Possibly the matchup of the round, these two potential heavyweight teams will kick start the season in what could be an absolute thriller.
South Bunbury will want to show they are still a contender after a strong 2013 campaign while Carey Park will be out to get off on the right foot and put the disappointment of last season behind them.
Both of these sides move the ball quickly and efficiently around the ground and bouncing off the half backlines won’t be a problem for anybody.
The midfield battle will be an intriguing tussle between star players and it will certainly be interesting to see who has the job on South Bunbury captain Matt Giacci.
Giacci can cause headaches for the opposition with his lethal foot skills but it’s his work ethic around the stoppages that really drives the Tigers.
Brayden Lawler can play an opposing role for Carey Park and with the help of Scott and David Roche in the middle this year you can expect him to have an even better year than his 2013 season.
Up forward both teams stand tall.
Matt Martin will continue to be the focal point of the Panthers’ attack but the option of Michael McMillan is also available while Chris Andrew will want to gain some dominant form early on for the Tigers and put some goals on the board.
This game should provide a good perspective on how we can expect these teams to perform.
I’m going with the Tigers, but only just.
Prediction: South Bunbury by 9 points.
Both of these teams have been tipped for a low finish by a majority of people but both still maintain enough strong players that they can cause upsets throughout the year.
Donnybrook improved greatly last year but the loss of Daniel Bilson and Kris Clarkson will hurt the Dons greatly.
AMR has also lost a great deal in Tim Noakes, Ben Noakes, Cody Enders, Brandon Franz and Justin Simmonds who all decided to part ways with the club.
Jaymin O’Dine-Khan is a strong young player for the Dons along with Jarrad Guglielmana, both will need to fire in this match with star midfielder Curtis Guglielmana questionable.
2013 Hayward Medallist Jeff Smith is the key for the Dons in this one.
He will need to continue his dominance both around the ground and on the scoreboard for the Dons to have any sort of impact in 2014.
For AMR, VFL recruit Hamish Shepheard will look to make an impact while Richard Devitt will need to be strong in the backline without the help of Franz.
Both sides will be desperate to start the season off 1-0 and this game has the potential to be a tight one.
Prediction: Donnybrook by 14 points.
With the way the off-season has panned out for both these sides, this match could be one sided by the time the final siren sounds.
Bunbury has stocked up on their key positions and has put themselves in a position to finish in the top three, whereas HBL has lost multiple key position players and could be facing a bottom two finish.
However this will be the best possible way for HBL to see if they’re young players can take it to some of the best experienced players in the competition.
HBL’s smaller bodied runners may struggle against the tough in and under brigade of the Bunbury Bulldogs with Jesse Gribble, Ryan Sheehan and Grady Byrne all being physical players.
Holding the Bulldogs to a low score may also prove to be a worry the young Lions with powerhouse forwards Marc Re and Jordan Adamson-Holmes both displaying strong form in the pre-season.
Young Lion Brayden Prentice may find himself with a big workload in this game while Ashley and Bryce Thornton will also be relied on to balance out the scoreboard for HBL.
Zac Piper showed good form throughout the preseason and will look to gain a lot of disposals in the round one match.
All eyes for this match however will be set heavily on ex-Subiaco Captain Aidan Parker who will be pulling on the boots for the Bulldogs.
The talented centre half-back will make it very hard for the Lions to score or run the ball from their defence.
It certainly seems like Bunbury has the upper hand in this match.
Prediction: Bunbury by 45 points.
This is a match that many will have their eyes on simply to get a more informed look at how these sides will perform in 2014.
The big in for Busselton is the return of Brent Hall from an injury plagued 2013 season.
The ruckman is a leader on and off the field and was instrumental in the Magpies’ 2012 premiership.
However his first opponent back will be a tough one.
Former Peel Thunder ruckman Phillip Pohlenz-Saw will be doing all he can to give the Bulls’ midfielders the upper hand at the stoppages.
Busselton may have the upper hand when it comes to big names in the midfield, but Harvey certainly isn’t shy of talent either.
Daniel McGinlay is a star while Tim Ioannou and Jordan Eastwell also provide a physical presence for the Magpies.
Harvey however boasts its own tough bunch of midfielders.
Ryan Mooney loves getting the hard ball with David Faulkner and youngster Zetlind Marino pitching in at times too.
However if Harvey are to win this game it starts with their strong backline.
Brett Lofthouse and Matt Robson could arguably be the best full back and centre-half-back tandem in the league and Busselton doesn’t maintain a strong forward line.
However, running it from the backline won’t be as easy as counting to three.
Harvey will need to stick to the wings and avoid giving McGinlay and Hall opportunities to get the ball as much as possible.
It’s a tough one to pick, but going down to Busselton and jagging a win is never an easy task.
Prediction: Busselton by 8 points.
The SWFL dished up a treat for spectators by giving them a round one grand final rematch, but it may not be as exciting as people are hoping.
Eaton is the Hawthorn of the South West Football League in that they are the benchmark team, the best in the competition and they have kept a large majority of their premiership winning side.
Collie on the other hand has lost multiple players that led them to two consecutive grand final appearances.
Paul Lindsay is without doubt the biggest loss for Collie.
The ruckman will be sorely missed and allowing Eaton to gain first ball use at the stoppages is a recipe for disaster.
Their midfielders are quick, their forwards are powerful and their backmen are reliable, but like every other side Eaton still isn’t perfect.
If Collie is to win the equation is simple – they will need to get as many inside 50’s as they possibly can.
Giving Matt Michael and Alex Tweedie as many opportunities to score as possible is paramount for a Collie upset.
However that means their midfielders will need to outwork the Eaton runners.
Tallan Michael, Adam Bignell and Luke Motion will all need to be productive for the Eagles while Chris Atthowe, Michael Battaglia and Josh Bowe will be providing plenty of dash for the Boomers.
It’s a new look Collie and it will take everything that they have to stop the Boomers, but it doesn’t look like Collie will win this one.
The Boomers should be able to take a 1-0 start to the season.
Prediction: Eaton by 38 points.
