TOPIC:

It's week 2 of the WAAFL SkillHire Finals Series (give the sponsors a good plug, you're welcome WAAFL) This week promises to be an exciting week of football. With all 4 sides remaining ready to stake their claim as to why they are the team to beat this year. Last season we saw a team climb from Fifth on the ladder to go on and win the Premiership, this season that won't happen, as the side finishing Fifth were bundled out. Wembley are clearly the side to beat, with the other 3 sides with plenty of work to do to emulate what they can do. It's definitely a closer battle with the remaining three sides as to who exactly will take there chances and emerge from the pack, such a thought makes MrM excited to see the results come 5.30pm on a Saturday afternoon.

The Olympics are over which means it has been back to reality for MrM as he recommenced working Monday, MrM was hoping it was just for a fleeting moment as had planned to win the Lotto Tuesday, but it wasn't to be. With the Olympics over MrM hopes we never hear from Kitty Chiller again, as she by far has been the most painful thing to come out of Rio. We may hate to wait 4 years to redeem ourselves, but it's 4 years too soon if we hear from her again.

Alrighty enough MrM dribble, let's get into the football it's all we know and love.

Semi Final 1

Collegians v Kingsway @Dalkeith Oval

Previous meetings this season
Collegians 8.12 (60) defeated Kingsway 8.8 (56)
Collegians 6.5 (41) defeated by Kingsway 7.8 (50)

Collegians fell agonisingly short of a win last weekend and will be looking to regroup this weekend as they have a do or die clash. The positive out of the loss is they get to play this weekend at home with the belief and knowing they are good enough to win. They can't afford to get to ahead of themselves though because they face a Kingsway team that is definitely a dark horse. Kingsway on the back of a good win last weekend advanced in the finals and will be looking to do so again. If they can get the ball moving forward and convert like they did last week, then they will be a handful for Collegians. (No doubt MrM will get criticised here...) but the game will definitely be won and lost in the midfield. Collegians may have plenty of run and carry, but I think Kingsway might be willing to get in and under and dirty. Will definitely be a tough game as both sides will still be sore from last weekends slug fest. I think Kingsway can cause an upset of sorts here.
Kingsway by 2 goals


Semi Final 2

Wembley v Whitford @Pat Goodridge Reserve FOTW

Previous meetings this season
Wembley 8.9 (57) defeated by Whitford 8.13 (61)
Wembley 18.13 (121) defeated Whitford 12.5 (77)

Well here we are, with the winner of this match advancing to the Grand Final and also guarantees them promotion to A Grade which is why this is this weekends Final Of The Week.

After finishing the season top of the ladder Wembley earned themselves a week off last weekend and will be fresh and ready to go for this encounter. They have been far and away the best team all season and will be out to show why they are deserving of that title come Saturday. They boast strength all over the ground and should have plenty of run to defeat a Whitford side that were slowing running out of juice last weekend. Whitford face a tough ask here but should feel they are a big chance to upset Wembley at home. They will just need to stop the supply to Wembley's potent forward line, a task that sounds simpler than it is. It's going to be a wet day by all reports, if it was a dry day I'd have Wembley by 6 goals, but should be closed than that.
Wembley by 3 goals

Good luck this weekend all, MrM may come and watch some football...
Whilst we are here, any predictions for next weeks vote count? It would be hard to go past B.Noakes from Wembley, but you never know.

Very Thorough as always Mr M

Getting to the pointy end of the season with 2 games i think will have contrasting results

Collegians have been playing some pretty good footy the last few weeks and came from 6 goals down last week to fall just short of advancing to the 2nd S/Final. Kingsway did what they needed to do against Mt Lawley and so with both sides evenly matched, a tight hard fought contest is expected. As Mr M said, the game will be won in the midfield and with Collegians Ruckman going down last week (assume will miss this week - was it the big unit who plays up forward as well?), Kingsway may feel this is an area that they can capitalise on but as both games have shown this year, there won't be much in it. Horrible weather predicated and with that i reckon Collegians may get up just at home by less than a kick

Wembley would have sat back licking there chops watching Whitfords slug it out in terrible conditions (Oval and weather) last week and with that i expect a fit and firing Wembley to easily account for Whitfords by 6 plus goals and procced to both the big Dance as well as back into A grade. Having said that if the result does pan out this way, the winner of Collegians v Kingsway would really fancy there chances against Whitfords next week

Good luck to all teams this weekend

As for the medal, the main chances i see are as follows:

McKinlay (take your pick of 2) from Mt Lawley - 125 goals between them for the year so they may steal votes from each other

Moody from Wembley - gets a fair bit of it and will attrack votes although may share them with a few others at a pretty even Wembley side

Maldenis from Kingsway - in the few games i have seen this year he has got a stack of it and never wastes a possesion. Winning more games as a club will help