Round 18 2013 Peter Jackson VFL Preview
Northern Blues vs Werribee
Visy Park, Carlton
2pm, Sunday, August 18

LAST TIME THEY MET: Northern Blues 20. 10. (130) defeated Werribee Tigers 17. 13. (115)

The seventh-placed Northern Blues meet the fifth-placed Werribee Tigers in a crucial clash to shape finals fortunes, when they face off at Visy Park on Sunday afternoon.

The game is a rematch of the Round 1 shootout that saw the Blues arguably upset the Tigers down at Werribee by 15 points. The two sides now face off again for the first time in four months; yet have both navigated similar paths throughout season 2013, sitting just two spots apart from each on the ladder.

A convincing win for the Blues may see them leapfrog both the sixth-placed Port Melbourne and Werribee and a game outside the top four, dependent on Williamstown’s result with the Roosters in North Ballarat.

However both sides are tough to gauge. The Scott West-coached Tigers have had two wins and two losses (plus a bye) in their last five encounters; though will take much heart from the 65-point thumping of Port Melbourne last weekend.

With North Melbourne’s injury list in relatively good shape, the Tigers have been beneficiary of the Kangaroos’ depth, with veteran defenders Scott McMahon and Michael Firrito pivotal in allowing just four goals for the Borough after half time.

The Tigers helped themselves to 16 goals after the first change, with former Kangaroo and current leading goal kicker Ben Warren relishing his spot as the forward target with former teammates, Kieran Harper and Ben McKinley providing very handy forward foils.

The Northern Blues welcome back a host of Carlton-listed players, with Nick Duigan back into the fray after a two-week suspension.

Jaryd Cachia and Sam Rowe come back into the side from the Carlton senior side, with Cachia looking to fill the void left by Tom Bell and Nick Graham (both selected to the AFL) side. Rowe should look forward to sharing the forward target with duties with Luke Mitchell.

Pat McCarthy also returns to the Northern Blues after two months off recovering from a foot injury.

The Northern Blues’ half back line will play a pivotal role and with Aaron Joseph and Marcus Davies in terrific form in terms of ball winning, they will need to reach their standards yet again.

Joseph will probably be opposed to Warren again, who fairly beat him in comprehensive fashion with the Werribee forward coming off 11 goals the previous week.

Much of Werribee’s scores in recent weeks have come from forward half turnovers, where their break-neck speed on offensive transition comes to the form, much in the same way North Melbourne have turned around opposition defences.

When the Blues have won the contested possession by 30 or more this year they have won. They have done eight times for eight wins in season 2013 and will need to emulate their inside work to counteract the Tigers’ full-ground leg speed.

Sunday afternoon is set for a pleasant day for football, and with the mostly fine weather all week, Visy Park should dry up considerably from the previous week to encourage a more open and adventurous style of play.

Player Watch:

Sam Rowe – Has big shoes to fill in the Northern Blues line up given a very impressive month put in by Levi Casboult. Casboult was sensational with 13 marks last year to partner 2 goals, as well as playing a vital role as a second ruckman. Rowe’s mobility makes him ideal for that second ruck option, but with fellow tall Mitchell, bagging just two goals in the past two weeks, Rowe will be required primarily to take the big clunks and convert the opportunities.

Aaron Joseph – Will most likely be matched up on Ben Warren and will take confidence into the match from his clear win he achieved in the match-up back in Round 1. Allowed to run free last week against Sandringham across half-back, Joseph’s four inside 50s combined with a 24-disposal effort, that sees him averaging 18.7 possessions in the past four weeks. Warren’s defensive pressure might need to come to the fore if Joseph curbs his goal kicking output.

Joel McDonald – Dubbed as “Fossil” for being one of the oldest players on the list, McDonald is a newcomer to the Northern Blues. A string of solid performances earned him his VFL debut last week, impressing enough to keep his spot for this week. Shows great composure with the ball in hand and is uncomplicated in how he goes about his football. Wins one-on-ones and gives the first option, he was quick to earn the respect of his teammates last week and we’ll hope he can possibly better his performance and maintain a consistent spot in the Northern Blues backline.

Northern Blues

B McDonald Coulson Davies
HB Joseph McCarthy O’Keeffe
C A. Gianfagna Marcon Lucas
HF Duigan Rowe Lambert
F Buckley Mitchell Collins
R Meese Cachia D. Ellard
Interchange (from)*: Bolger Currie Dufficy Thomas Bransgrove Dale Lincoln Wilson Temay

*Final side to be confirmed by Sunday, 11am

Matthew Lodge covers Northern Blues games for Carltonfc.com.au. You can follow him on Twitter: @MatthewSLodge