Senior Competition Round 6 Preview – Friday Night Football

Friday Night Footy is the key feature of round 6 of the AFL North Coast competition, with Grafton Tigers and Sawtell Toormina Saints going head to head at Ellem Oval, Grafton.

Grafton Tigers are desperate to bounce back after consecutive poor results and are expected to be boosted by the inclusion of a number of strong performers. The Tigers had their first win only three rounds ago and need to get back to that level of commitment and effort if they are to compete strongly on Friday night. They will be well lead by Captain/Coach Luke Stanford who had over 50 possessions last week in an effort that was described as one of the best ever witnessed by a player in a badly beaten side. The question for the Tigers is, who wants to match Stanford’s efforts and lift the team out of their form slump.

Meanwhile, Sawtell Toormina Saints are in a good vein of form, having won the last two matches on the bounce. Whilst a number of club stalwarts have been consistent contributors, a number of other players have stepped up and are carrying more of the load. Malcolm Trotter, Callum and Lachie Day, and Dylan Darby have lifted their games this season, whilst Daniel Pritchard is providing a regular supplies of goal up front. Assuming the core of Sawtell’s players are able to make the trip to Grafton on a Friday night they will be hard to beat but will need to guard against complacency.

In the other match of the round, Port Macquarie Magpies play host to the Coffs Breakers.

The Magpies are still trying to get their best combination on the park and should be competitive when they do. Leaders Jesse Schmidt, Craig Dicker, and Rod Sonogan are all available, whilst young guns Jakob Gray, Jackson Terley, and Isaac King are really starting to make their mark at this level. Port are desperate to notch their first win of the season, finding themselves in very unfamiliar territory at the bottom of the ladder. Next round they travel north to Byron so really need to get some belief back within the group.

The high flying Breakers will provide a very tough challenge. Last week they got back to their full strength line-up and were ruthless against Grafton. Their younger brigade in Luke Symons, Shaydan and Royce Close, Ben Gibbeson, and Harry Parker run all day and will enjoy the space at Wayne Richards Park. Brendan Norton kicked a bag of 7 goals last week in his first game of the season and will be a handful for the Magpies defence.

Round 6 Fixtures

Friday 12 May at 7:30pm: Grafton Tigers v Sawtell Toormina Saints, Ellem Oval, Grafton
Saturday 13 May at 2:20pm: Port Macquarie Magpies v Coffs Breakers, Wayne Richards Park, Port Macquarie