A FASCINATING AFL Sydney Women’s Premier League round awaits with team tactical and individual improvement measures going to be right at the forefront of minds. Most teams will have their most even test thus far, so expect a tight round of contests.

SYDNEY UNIVERSITY vs EAST COAST EAGLES
Saturday, May 25 @ 12:10pm
Sydney Uni

Sydney Uni is the team most immune to the elements of football that East Coast Eagles differentiate themselves with at the top of the competition. They close down the space well and therefore restrict the Eagles bursting out of contests, while trying to do it themselves. It forces the Eagles defenders to at least be accountable for periods in the game.

Eagles will be favourites, but the Students will give a good account of themselves. The team that gets the ball forward the most, and maximises marking field position changes will take the win. Watch for East Coast ground ball roving and cleanups around contests to provide them with the long-term game advantage as the match wears on.

Eagles by a couple of goals.

PARRAMATTA GOANNAS vs MANLY WARRINGAH WOLVES
Saturday, May 25 @ 12:45pm
Gipps Road Ovals

Its time for both these sides to show us their improvements, and now they will have to stand up against their fellow contender. In fact, this game should be so close that it really will come down to the coaching, effort and fitness on gameday, as well as the tactics employed as to whom can find the advantageous areas.

Both teams have very different strengths and weaknesses, and are the best at shutting down the opposition ball carrier, while using their run off the outside of contests. Parramatta has the inside football experience advantage, with a strength in overhead marking.

In fact, that will be key to Parramatta performance. The Goannas cannot be stationary and so slow when transitioning, which will allow the Wolves to reset their defence. If they play on at all costs, it should provide them a slight advantage.

But on the expenses of Gipps Road Oval, expect an even number of linkages across the field which in turn will create scoring opportunities. It will be very interesting to see which team and players find the way to get the win.

The four points will be very useful for the winning team here, relative to the teams around them on the ladder. The two teams cannot be split on form, but the run of Manly Warringah might just provide the Wolves with the advantage by the narrowest of margins,.

PENNANT HILLS DEMONS vs UNSW-ES BULLDOGS
Saturday, May 25 @ 1:10pm
Mike Kenny Oval

A fascinatingly even contest awaits, as it has been the last few times these teams have played.
The Demons have been gallant in most games this year, but still lack polish on clearances leading to fewer linkages, and thus it limits their scoring opportunities.

Expect to see Pennant Hills’ defence to again force the UNSW team wide and force more behinds than goals once again. Conversely, the Demons’ strength is the Dogs’ main weakness which is finding the avenues to goal, and capitalising on scoring opportunities

A tight seesawing battle awaits, and one team should get their first points on the board for 2024. The Bulldogs in a nail-biter, but a draw is a possibility.

ST GEORGE DRAGONS vs UTS BATS
Saturday, May 25 @ 2:50pm
Olds Park

The Dragons have had the expected tough introduction to the Premier Division, but have had a few weeks off to evaluate the state of play and figure out the player and universal adaptations needed to start the evasion and executions necessary to start linking possessions and compete at this level.

Expect to continue to see a really solid defensive effort all across the park. The Dragons should be aware of, and look to stop the Bats’ corridor football, which they love to set up running from contests. If they can reduce that, then St George can shut down the UTS transition.

For UTS, its loss against North Shore recently would sting, and they will be looking to put this one in the books in a really solid way, to get back in the race for the top end of the ladder. One area the Bats will be looking to refine this week is the speed of delivery and decision making.

Last round in the wet, their opponent was able to pull off a lot of chase down tackles, and the Bats cannot afford to let St George do the same. Olds park is at least three linkages through the centre from end to end, and four if forced wide. Therefore any disruptions to linkages minimises overall scoring and sees a lot of play bounce between the arcs.

UTS Bats by about five goals.

North Shore Bombers have the bye.