The Kats are back to 1 Red after confirming their ticket to the big dance. They can't be caught. What a year they have had, yes a little hiccup after Christmas but all in all only 2 losses for the season with a huge percentage. Many rounds it really seemed like there was nobody coming close to them as they powered away from the start & disappeared into the horizon. The Bay are putting pressure back into that coveted 2nd spot knowing that rolling the Kats in the 1st game of Finals give them a near guaranteed chance of winning that 2nd golden ticket. Cockburn are only 0.5pt off second with a distance to 4th. The Titans will also be keen to grab 2nd spot to grab that 2nd chance but both teams are now also guaranteed Finals.
The heat is building nicely for that 4th Finals spot. With Mossies rolling Manning it brings them right into Finals chat. There's always 1 team who head on a purple run after the turn from home & Mossies were without question the team of the season for the 2nd half.
We get the week break & then 3 weeks for most sides in 1 White between Finals & playoffs so it will be an intensive few weeks for all.
Gosnells 79 (2) vs Cockburn 86 (6)
(Eoghan Gahan 25 - Tony Krajancic 28) (Frank Carbone 21 - William Tepania 17) (Glenn Lynch 13 - Marc Abonnel 22) (Rob Foy 20 - Michael Simunovic 19)
Who said Titans can't win on the road? What a huge performance to guarantee themselves a finals spot & keep them in the race for 2nd. Lynch was up against it all day against the Titans top rink & Abonnel pushed out by 9 in the end to give the Titans a huge early lift. Carbone pulled that 1pt back with 4 over Big Wille but Gahan dropped by 3 to a high scoring Kranjancic with 53 shots across the board by the end. Foy edged Simo by 1 but just not enough as the Kookaburra's go down by 7 & head down the ladder & 1 full game away from safety.
Result: Cockburn 6 - 2
Prediction: Gosnells 6 - 2
Leeming 76 (0.5) vs Safety Bay 94 (7.5)
(Gary Ford 15 - Matthew Mortensen 19) (James Newton 21 - Graeme Smith 29) (Karl Vandersluys 22 - Zac Boddy 22) (Peter Boys 18 - Chris Carruthers 24)
The Lions badly needed this Agg but The Bay were just too strong in the end. Boys couldn't contain a very strong Carruthers outfit as the visitors cruised to a 6 shot win. Vandersluys & Boddy couldn't be separated all day with 22-22 a piece & surprisingly that was the home side's only collection all day which was there worse home result all season. Newton struggled to control the numbers on Smith as Smith's side ran away with 29 shots. And Ford dropped to Mortensen by 4 to give the home side a tricky task over the next few weeks after the bye.
The Bay secure that 2nd spot & Leeming, after such a good 1st half of the season are now within demotional playoffs but only 2.5pts off safety.
(Allan Taylor 20 - Mark Robertson 23) (Paul Smith 17 - Steven Swanson 20) (Shane Adams 10 - Cameron Hoffman 31) (Wayne Heldt 22 - Mitchell Cranswick 12)
Manning were strong all season at home so this was a huge result for Mossies, as they maintained that massive momentum. Smith's side was going well all season but just couldn't get over Swanson in the end as the visitors won by 3. Heldt did push back with a strong 10 shot win over Cranswick but Taylor just couldn't get Robertson as Mossies grabbed another 1pt on that rink. And with the Lions on top of the Agg, up came The Hoff to put the cherry on top with a spanking of Adams by 21 shots to give the Mossies a get out of jail card & a genuine swap in places into a Finals spot. This was a double pointer of significant portions. To think back to R6 where Mossies were BOTTOM of the ladder with 15pts to genuine Finals contenders & with this momentum they could be the 1st team in my memory from R6 to go from 10th to 1 Red, what a comeback of sorts. Well done to Mossies.
(Brandon Heta 20 - Daryl Radford 16) (Christopher McKenna 15 - Matthew Allen 22) (David Cosgrove 12 - Brad Henley 19) (Gary Papadopolous 12 - Steven Novak 22)
The View always had it tough in this round with the top side posing a huge challenge. McKenna continued the struggles with Allen getting over by 8. Cosgrove had similar struggles with Henley as the visitors went 2-0 up on rinks. Papa had little answers for Novak as they lost by 10 in a low scoring game with some big saves from the home side. Heta did grab a vital point to boost the confidence with 4 shots over a strong Radford rink.
There nothing The View can do from here but enjoy the last few weeks & prep for 1 Blue. The Kats are back to PL as the celebrations begin. They'll be delighted to put together such a strong season after a few years of personnel changes.
Result: Kardinya 7 - 1
Prediction: Kardinya 7 - 1
Rossmoyne 81 (6) vs Bassendean 68 (2)
(Craig Edson 12 - Butch Dinnison 22) (John Carter RO 25 - David Killisch Von Horn 16) (Mark Barrett 34 - Jovan Krstic 11) (Rawley Lang 10 - Eugene OSullivan 19)
Tough but vital game for the bottom of the ladder positions. Basso are now only 2.5pts into the safety zone but The River Rats now get to within 3.5pts of playoffs which is huge for them. Could they survive this season? Who knows but the chances have increased with this Agg.
Carter had a strong 9 shot win over KvH to get the home side off to a flyer. Butch fought back bravely with 10 shots over Edson & suddenly it was all square again. O'Sullivan pulls out a huge performance with 9 over Lang & suddenly Basso are 10up on the Agg & heading towards the safety of another season in 1 White. However, Barrett didn't get the same memo. Could he pull back that 10 shots, the answer was no, he had bigger plans as they rolled Krstic big time in a shock result by 24 shots given the River Rats a huge Agg & chance of survival. They must have played well as it can't remember the last time Krstic's rink lost by such a margin
