DELORAINE will aim to celebrate captain Brad Crowden’s 250th game with a win when they take on Bracknell in their NTFA round-15 clash at home on Saturday.
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The second-placed Roos are coming off a bye and defeated the Redlegs by just three points in their last encounter at Bracknell in round six.
‘‘I think we dominated the game for the first three quarters and had 12 more scoring shots to that stage, but we kicked really badly and gave them a sniff and, full credit to them, they came at us and another five minutes and we could have lost the game,’’ Deloraine coach Rory Mansell said.
He said the week off had been beneficial as they prepare for the final four rounds heading towards the finals.
‘‘We’ve only lost two games for the year to the same team, which is a bit disappointing, but we are aware that if we switch off now and are not focused, we could slip out of the top three. ‘‘We need to win all our remaining games or certainly this one to lock ourselves into a top-three position.’’
The Roos regain Tyson Gardam after missing five weeks to injury, and Jacob Wauchope returns for his first game in 12 weeks from a broken wrist.
Mathew O’Donoghue goes out with a broken jaw.
BRACKNELL coach Gary Shipton said he expected a tough game at Deloraine and his players would need to produce a four-quarter effort to push the Roos and make it a close game.
The Redlegs defeated Longford last week and Shipton said he expected an unchanged side with a couple of key players to return in the next couple of weeks.
SOUTH LAUNCESTON host Hillwood at Youngtown with the ladder-leaders coming off a win last week over Scottsdale.
Coach Aaron Viney said they jumped out of the blocks with a 5.6 first quarter while holding the Magpies scoreless, but had died in the second half, missing an opportunity to play four quarters of footy and allowing Scottsdale to outscore them in the second half.
Viney said they wanted a win in their second-last home game of the year and expected to have Beau Green, Dave Patten, Matthew Viney and Brad Etchell all looking to return.
Jak Hadley is out with a two-week suspension and Jake Laskey is sidelined with a broken thumb.
HILLWOOD coach Ryan Worn said playing the benchmark team was a good indicator of where their club needed to be at to be successful in the future.
Worn said they were excited about the challenge but had dropped off after a good first half the last time they met and would need to play four quarters.
The Sharks have had a horrid run with injuries and they lose Mitchell Barton and Ethan Goldfinch this week.
BRIDGENORTH take on Rocherlea in a second-versus-fifth clash at Parrot Park.
Coach Michael Bowden said it was an important game in terms of a double chance come finals and both clubs would be aware of what was on the line.
He said they wanted to put in a better performance compared with the last time they met and were still seeking consistency across the four quarters.
Bowden said their backline would have to stand up against a strong Rocherlea forward line and he was looking for the midfield to play well.
Joel Clements should return this week.
Rocherlea coach Lyndon Stubbs said it was always a tough trip and the Parrots played their home ground very well.
The suburban Tigers defeated Bridgenorth earlier in the season, but Stubbs said the Parrots had regained some players since then and would be a stronger opposition this time.
The addition of David Wickham alongside Josh Holton and Daniel Maynard has made for a potent forward line for Rocherlea.
Zac Illes was a chance to return if he passed a fitness test.
GEORGE TOWN play Longford at Blue Gum Park in the final game of the round, with the Saints keen to record their first win of the season.
THIS WEEKEND
NTFA DIVISION 1 ROUND 15 MATCHES
SATURDAY
South Launceston v Hillwood
Bridgenorth v Rocherlea
Deloraine v Bracknell
George Town v Longford
Bye – Scottsdale