After two recent weekend byes in the Hampden Football Netball League, the next seven weeks is going to be extremely interesting and potentially set up the season for a number of sides.
As we are aware, South Warrnambool and Portland have started the season faultlessly, remaining undefeated and already look like dangerous top five sides. Koroit are going extremely well, while North Warrnambool and Warrnambool are going soundly. The next block of matches are going to be crucial for the likes of Hamilton and Cobden, who in my eyes are capable of playing in September. Brace yourself for an exciting seven weeks coming up before the next bye.
Milestone Bomber
A great young individual will line up for game 100 this weekend, with defender Christian Koroneos reaching the milestone. Christian from day one has been a vital cog in the Bomber defensive unit and still relatively young has a lot of Hampden League football left in him. Cobden are an extremely young outfit and the experience and leadership Christian offers is priceless. A well-loved teammate, the Cobden community will be celebrating Christian’s efforts this weekend.
Emerging Stars
Camperdown export Hamish Sinnott and Portland Tiger Jamieson Ballantyne have a chance to give the AFL system a further look at their potential after being selected in the AFL Young Guns Series this weekend. The teams have been selected by AFL recruiters as they look to bolster their lists in the upcoming MId-Season Rookie Draft. Both players have lined up with the GWV Rebels this season, while Hamish is also on the Carlton VFL list. A great opportunity for both players and we wish them all the best of luck.
Rowan
Some exciting news at the start of the 2021 season was the return of Jason Rowan to the Warrnambool Blues. The Blues sharp-shooter returned to the Reid Oval with a total of 894 goals, 126 behind the league record set by South Warrnambool legend Tony Russell. Whilst having an injury interrupted year last season, only playing four games and kicking 8 goals, Rowan has started 2022 on fire, having already kicked 20 goals. It will be interesting to see how many the gun can kick this year and will he keep running around in hope of setting a new record.
My Tips
South Warrnambool – Awesome team that are strong all-over the ground. They’ll be too good for Warrnambool.
Koroit – A great learning opportunity for Cobden, but the Saints are playing well and they have some terrific first-year players.
Portland – I am a big wrap for the Tigers, with a few Eagles missing, I think the Tigers will remain undefeated.
Camperdown – Two young sides in this battle, going on form-line, the Magpies playing better than Port Fairy.
Hamilton – Hamilton plays a good brand of football, if they had two or three more A-Graders, they’d be close to being a top five team. Close match, but they’ll prevail.
Have a great weekend watching local footy and netball.
Hilly
