Welcome to this weeks review - one heart stopper, one big upset and then probably some predictable results to close out Round 17. Let’s have a look at how things sit leading into our final home and away game next Saturday:
- Kalamunda are now back in the box seat for 2nd position following a return to form against Fremantle. A solid 7.5 points was enough to secure 2nd place and it is really Kalamunda’s to lose given they play South Perth next week. It was only the Brandsma rink with a draw that stopped a full count. I would not be surprised if Bill were to call for some extra training sessions this week for his rink following this recent form slump! The loss from South Perth plus a surprise win from Dalkeith means that South Perth will get relegated.
- Oh what might have been for Kardinya following a 1 shot defeat at the hands of Rockingham away and 2 points. They will start the last round 3 points adrift of Kalamunda and finish the season with home match vs Thornlie that they will be favourites to win. But unless South Perth do them a favour by knocking off Kalamunda they will be tackling the finals from 3rd place.
- The surprise of the round came when Dalkeith defeated Forrestfield away from home to give them some hope of avoiding the play-offs with 2nd division sides. Led by Jesse Brown who defeated the strong Rhys Tillemnans rink Dalkeith will be looking for a big win up against Rockingham next week and hope some other results go their way. Dalkeith have fought all the way to the wire and given what took place in the final round in blue South last season anything is possible.
- Rockingham finally won a close match with a one shot defeat over Kardinya. How much different would things have been if the result was the other way around but full credit to the Rocky boys for the win. They finish the season with a fixture at Dalkeith where a win might give them an outside chance of sneaking a top 3 finish if other results went there way. However a loss and they are still slightly vulnerable to slip back into the play offs. A huge fixture for both clubs at Dalkeith next week.
- But the match of the round for sure next week is the Warnbro vs Forrestfield clash. A 6-2 win or better for Warnbro at home where they play their best bowls would send Forrestfield into the play offs. A win from Forrestfield and they will be safe. A huge amount to play for and give Warnbro’s strong home record they will start clear favourites next week.
- Thornlie recorded a huge win 59 shot win over South Perth on Saturday. This has lifted them to 5th spot but I think that they are still vulnerable to slip back into play off territory. They face a tricky fixture at Kardinya away and really need a minimum of 2 points to make sure that they stay in the top 6. Both teams in this match with alot to play for so another big fixture to round out the season.
- Finally another win to Vic Park however Warnbro really made them earn the win. Warbro securing an important 1.5 points which gives them a real shot at reaching the top 6 given a final fixture at home. Next week to round out the season we will have top vs bottom with Vic Park taking on Freo in their final game before demotion. A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that Dinko was preparing a banner for the Freo boys to run thru pre game vs South Perth (which did not work). This week he is doing one for the Vic Park boys to congratulate them on their win this season with a nice personal message on the front. He says he will be speaking with the Collingwood cheer squad during the week for some handy hints.
Well that finishes this weeks review. I am going to have my 1st crack at predicting the final finishing position (but I do reserve the right to make some adjustments come next week’s preview and a check of the sides). I am pretty sure given the ups and downs already this season my prediction will look foolish come next Saturday evening.
1 Vic Park
2 Kalamunda
3 Kardinya
4 Rockingham
5 Thornlie
6 Warnbro
7 Dalkeith
8 Forrestfield
9 South Perth
10 Fremantle
