WESTERN Australia will play a second successive home game for the national carnival before hititng the road, and will be desperate to respond to a first half that never got going in the loss to South Australia. Vic Metro on the other hand produced an impressive performance to storm past Queensland, and will be comfortable favourites here. An upset 12 months ago that was decided by the last kick of the game has WA instilled with belief it can cause another boilover.

NEED TO KNOW

Date: Saturday, June 20
Time: 12:40pm (local) | 2:10pm (ACST) | 2:40pm (AEST)
Venue: Cockburn ARC Oval

TEAMS:

Western Australia:

B: Mia Carlshausen – India Bonadeo – Bella Nelson
HB: Heidi Ireland – Marie Polimeno – Lucy Gilbey
C: Charlie Fletcher – Charli Bassett – Rikisha Nannup
HF: Shaya Yarran – Avuya Nomlatyu – Miley Hynes
F: Sienna Lilly – Hannah Seaborn – Marley Kelman
R: Cara Dziegielewski – Lexi Strachan – Caitlin Boss
INT: Niah Catto – Alexis Edgley – Makaela Grau – Tahlia Head – Mia van Kleef

Note: Rough starting lineup based on team named

>> FULL SQUAD

Vic Metro:

B: Ellie Busch – Maeve Gill – Leni Lockyer
HB: Sophia Green – Kiara Boyd – Alli Allen
C: Maddison Meagher – Brylee Anderson – Grace McIntyre
HF: Scout Semple – Holly Clough – Addison West
F: Adelaide Caldicott – Bailee Martin – Tayla Olivieri
R: Cleo Barbakas – Isabella Mazzei – Emily Rankin
INT: Jacinta Eteuati – Isabelle Godfrey – Somer McCormack – Bridie Neale – Grace Perrett

Note: Rough starting lineup based on team named

>> FULL SQUAD

CHANGES

Western Australia:

IN: Tahlia Head, Caitlin Boss, Mia van Kleef, Niah Catto
OUT: Grace Hirst, Keira Fawcett, Jasmine Giles, Maya Walsh

Vic Metro:

IN: Somer McCormack, Bridie Neale, Holly Clough
OUT: Ruby Jones, Maya Duane, April Dye

KEY MATCHUP

India Bonadeo (Western Australia) vs. Bailee Martin (Vic Metro)

Without a doubt the key to quelling Vic Metro’s scoring is to limit the opportunities of pick one contender, Martin. The Oakleigh Chargers star booted four goals – and had a couple of other chances as well – in the win over Queensland, and if she can get off the chain, it will be mighty hard for the Sandgropers to have a chance. However if Bonadeo – who was in superb form in Round 1 can limit her influence, then the Claremont tall can aid in her side upsetting the reigning champions for the second successive year.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Western Australia:

The West Australian defence was under siege last week due to a midfield that really struggled. Expect National Academy member Lexi Strachan to bounce back from a really rare quiet game given she is absolute quality. Her partner in crime Cara Dziegielewski dominated through the ruck and around the ground last week despite the heavy loss, and if the West Australian midfield can take advantage of that, then they can be on their way to getting on top.

However coming up against such a strong midfield, the inclusion of Caitlin Boss will certainly help, as she and Charli Bassett – who was WA’s number one clearance player last week – need to get their hands on the footy and get it going forward early. The contested marking abilities of Avuya Nomlatyu and Hannah Seaborn can pose problems to the Vic Metro defence as they did last week, but it was just too little, too late. Some more forward entries in the first half can change fortunes.

Vic Metro:

Martin is the obvious one up forward who can win a game off her own boot, but Western Jets small Tayla Olivieri thrived at her feet with minimal attention, slotting three first half goals in the win over Queensland. The Vics don’t necessarily have a stack of natural forwards, but do have a lot of rotating mid-forwards which keeps the opposition guessing. Holly Clough comes into theside off a four-goal haul in Calder’s win over Northern to replace the injured Maya Duane, while hard-running wing Bridie Neale will be part of a four-strong wing approach of players who can roll through the position.

The speed of Maddison Meagher on the outside could catch the Sandgropers on the hop, while Brylee Anderson and Emily Rankin work well as a midfield duo on the inside. Throw in Oakleigh ball-winner Isabella Mazzei and the ever-improving Addison West, and the visitors will have no shortage of options in and around the ball. Watch for the X-factor from Scout Semple to play a part forward of centre, too.

WHERE THE GAME IS WON

It is cliche, but the midfield. We know Western Australia will get first hands to it through Dziegielewski who will go up against a two-prong Vic Metro attack, though predominantly Cleo Barbakas who is more of a “shark out of the ruck” type combatant. How both midfields deal with thee modus operandi will be key, and the one thing for certain is Western Australia cannot afford another slow start. On the flip side, Vic Metro had a fast start against Queensland before the game tightened up, but it was enough to set up the win.

Western Australia’s forwardline has some dangerous players both talls and smalls, but they have to get a look-in, while up the other end, Martin will be the focal point, but it means others can bob up and hit the scoreboard. A fascinating watch will be how Strachan responds, while the inclusion of Boss is a great one for the Sandgropers.

PREDICTION:

It is not too much of a stretch to say based on opposite Round 1 results that Vic Metro is the favourite and should win here. However the same was said 12 months ago as Western Australia won in a thriller as Martin’s shot after the siren just missed. If the sequel is anywhere near as good as the original, spectators are in for a treat.