TEAMS have welcomed back some big guns for their round two TAC Cup matches, while others have lost some stars due to injury. Among those omitted from their sides are top prospects Zane Barzen (Murray Bushrangers) and Tom Berry (GWV Rebels), while Max King (Sandringham Dragons) and Jye Caldwell (Bendigo Pioneers) are back after missing the opening round due to injury and cricket respectively.

CALDER CANNONS v. EASTERN RANGES 

Round 2 – Thursday, March 29, 7.30pm
RAMS Arena, Craigieburn

Both Calder Cannons and Eastern Ranges will fight it out under lights at RAMS Arena tonight in search of their first win. Calder went down to Western Jets in last Friday’s season opener by just four points in a thrilling clash, while Eastern were outplayed by Oakleigh Chargers in the wet at Frankston. Calder will look to use its home ground advantage to get on top of Eastern, while the Ranges will be hoping to showcase their skills in weather other than torrential rain.

There was a lot to like about Calder’s performance in round one despite the loss, breaking even with the Jets in clearances, with co-captains Mitch Podhajski (six) and Jack Bytel (five) leading the way on the inside. Clearances were also a strength for Eastern, amassing 39 in the wet – just one short of Oakleigh which was remarkable considering the 50-point deficit by the final siren. But the most noticeable different between the games was the fact that Eastern won four out of six centre clearances, while Calder went down 14-9 – 17 more in that game compared to the Saturday morning contest.

In the back half, Ben Cardamone will be looking to lead the Ranges out of defence and back up his seven rebounds, but could also have his work cut out for him should he line-up on AFL Academy member Curtis Taylor. The Cannons’ forward was damaging inside 50 last week, booting three goals from 12 disposals and three marks. Cannons’ full-forward Jeremy O’Sullivan finished the game with three majors and four marks (two contested). Eastern’s James Ross could be given the job on O’Sullivan – laying six tackles and picking up eight disposals of his own on the weekend. Fellow key position defender James Blanck made the AFL Draft Central TAC Cup Team of the Week in round one, taking four of Eastern’s 12 marks in round one, and took one of only two contested marks for the game. He also had 11 disposals and six rebounds.

On the weekend Eastern had 200 disposals, 118 less than their opponents, while Calder had 324 – 42 more than their opponents. But the Ranges also brought the heat, laying a whopping 106 tackles, plus 17 on Oakleigh, while Calder laid 41, 11 less than Western. Based on those statistics, the Cannons will look to possess the ball and think their way through each possession, while Eastern will look to pressure the ball carrier and force turnovers. It is almost impossible to compare the games from round one given the conditions Eastern played in, but they will look to bring the same intensity while increasing their offensive output. Kye Quirk and Cody Hirst are other names who performed in round one, while Lachlan Sholl and Jack Evans were strong in the midfield and defence respectively.

Calder Cannons

B: 4. K. Baker, 26. M. Fletcher, 33. J. Evans
HB: 3. I. Moussa , 36. P. Mahoney, 48. S. Ramsay
C: 35. S.  Graham, 30. M.  Podhajski, 8. L.  Sholl
HF: 27. T. Browning, 38. B. Newman, 1. D. Mott
F: 23. D. Hanna, 12. J. O’Sullivan, 5. C. Taylor
R: 60. D. Pretty, 42. N. Croft, 20. R. West
Int: 16. J. Bytel, 43. L. Cavallaro, 11. J. Firebrace, 45. C. Kosmas, 10. H. Minton-Connell, 49. J. Westphal

Eastern Ranges

B: 20. B. Cardamone, 21. J. Ross, 26. C. Norris
HB: 23. X. Fry, 31. J. Blanck, 24. K. Quirk
C: 3. H.  Chinn, 8. J.  Burleigh, 11. M.  Mellis
HF: 9. J. Duffy, 45. M. Zalac, 27. J. Jaworski
F: 5. R. Einsporn, 18. B. McCormack, 17. C. Hirst
R: 42. T. Lockman, 7. L. Stapleton, 2. A. Kalcovski
Int: 4. R. Clausen, 41. J. Corless, 39. C. Daraio, 14. L. Gawel, 12. J. Gilbee, 32. F. Smith

MURRAY BUSHRANGERS vs. BENDIGO PIONEERS 
Round 2 – Friday, March 30, 11.30am
Deakin Reserve, Shepparton

Murray Bushrangers and Bendigo Pioneers head into their round two encounter with different form lines. The Bushrangers were surprised by Gippsland in round one, while the Pioneers stormed home to run over the top of the GWV Rebels courtesy of a four goals to one final term. Murray lost slick star Zane Barzen to injury in the first quarter last week, while the Pioneers regain gun midfielder/forward Jye Caldwell following the conclusion of his cricket commitments. Both sides have extended benches, with a host of top talent coming in for their first games of the season.

Looking at the home side in round one, the Bushrangers had a few high possession getters, as debutant Lachlan Ash racked up 28 disposals (at 82 per cent efficiency) off half-back to accompany seven marks and eight rebounds in a quarter-back type role. The Bushrangers won the rebounds battle with 38-30 against Gippsland, but struggled to put scores on the board with the same number of inside 50s, while Gippsland had a whopping 54. Laitham Vandermeer went inside 50 six times, while Hudson Garoni (five), Jake Bradshaw (four) and Kyle Clarke (four) were other ball movers on the day. The Bushrangers still had 317 disposals, with Ash leading the way from Ely Smith (24), Clarke (23) and Vandermeer (20).

For Bendigo, they made the most of their opportunities considering they too had just 38 inside 50s, seven less than their opponents in round one. Will Holt was the difference up forward with five goals to lead all-comers in the TAC Cup. Expect versatile tall Tom Boyd or inclusion Nick Murray to get the job on Holt. Bailey Henderson was an important figure with eight inside 50s from 29 disposals, providing plenty of dash on the outside, while Zane Keighran (28 disposals, 10 marks, four clearances and six inside 50s) was arguably the Pioneers best, along with Noah Wheeler (24 disposals, four marks, four clearances, five inside 50s and five tackles). In the final quarter onslaught it was Henderson and Liam Marciano (both nine disposals) who stood up for the Pioneers in round one.

Murray Bushrangers

B: 22. A. Dang, 16. N. Murray, 15. R. Quinn
HB: 12. L. Ash, 34. T. Boyd, 28. K. Clarke
C: 26. R.  Bice, 17. N.  Amery, 13. B.  Frauenfelder
HF: 6. W. Chandler, 18. H. Garoni, 54. F. O’Dwyer
F: 9. M. Walker, 8. J. Koschitzke, 10. P. Warner
R: 23. M. Marriott, 5. E. Smith, 4. L. Vandermeer
Int: 20. J. Bradshaw, 14. J. Chalcraft, 38. D. Clarke, 33. F. Ellis, 3. B. Kelly, 25. B. St John

In: E. Dayman, J. Boyer, N. Murray, F. O’Dwyer, M. Oates
Out: C. Hill,  Z. Barzen

Bendigo Pioneers

B: 16. J. Atley, 24. N. McHugh, 51. B. Waasdorp
HB: 9. Z. Keighran, 8. B. Kemp, 25. F. Perez
C: 18. B.  Henderson, 43. H.  Lawrence, 57. A.  Smith-Ralph
HF: 1. M. Goodwin, 20. J. Schischka, 3. L. Marciano
F: 35. Z. Denahy, 45. W. Holt, 17. R. Ironside
R: 23. D. Keating, 5. N. Wheeler, 4. J. Caldwell
Int: 7. L. Chisholm, 34. R. Clarke, 14. T. Dow, 11. J. Grace, 10. D. Grace, 50. K. Lloyd, 47. J. Sala, 52. K. Walker, 19. T. Walters, 2. J. Williams

In: J. Caldwell, T. Dow, J. Schischka, J. Grace

GIPPSLAND POWER vs. DANDENONG STINGRAYS 
Round 2 – Friday, March 30, 1.30pm
Morwell Recreation Reserve, Morwell

In the other game on Friday, two sides that had some impressive wins face-off, with Gippsland Power taking on Dandenong Stingrays. The Power were too strong for Murray Bushrangers, while the Stingrays rolled a highly-touted Falcons outfit in what was predicted to be the game of the round. Now Dandenong heads down the highway to face the Power, who had a massive 54 inside 50s against the Bushrangers last week. The Stingrays had 50 of their own and restricted Geelong to just 28, so the battle through the midfield is expected to be exciting.

Matthew McGannon was a large reason behind Gippsland’s drive in round one, with seven rebound 50s – almost 25 per cent of his team’s total – while Brett Thorson led the way with seven inside 50s. Others that got the ball deep were Xavier Duursma (five), Irving Mosquito (four), Harvey Neocleous (four) and Fraser Phillips (four). Ryan Henkel led the way in the ruck with 17 hitouts in round one, but he is an omission this week, with replacement Levi Munns certainly set to have his work cut out trying to tame the likes of Riley Bowman and Bailey Williams. It was also Gippsland’s bottom-agers such as Sam Flanders and Caleb Serong who drove the Power to victory with a combined 39 disposals between them.

For Dandenong, they controlled the ball going forward and played a slower, more contested game against the Falcons, having just 279 disposals but booting 15.10 – remarkably a score every 11 disposals. The Stingrays tend to be a shared cohort and Campbell Hustwaite led the way with 21 disposals, but had seven clearances, five inside 50s, eight tackles and booted two goals in a very impressive performance. Will Hamill also looked the goods with 19 disposals, three marks and six tackles, while Aaron Darling returned from a season-long injury to boot three goals from six disposals as a damaging small forward. Twins Stephen and Matthew Cumming both played their first competitive games for the Stingrays with Stephen rotating through the ruck.

The Stingrays won a lot of their disposals at ground level, taking just 47 marks, but comfortably beat their opponents in contested possessions, something Gippsland will need to do if they are to knock off the visitors. Meanwhile the Stingrays cannot afford to give the Power time and space on the outside as they have some fantastic users of the football that can hit pinpoint passes.

Gippsland Power

B: 12. B. Smith, 25. K. Reid, 15. R. Sparkes
HB: 8. B. Beck, 23. N. Gown, 18. M. McGannon
C: 29. B.  Motton, 11. A.  Hodge, 2. C.  Serong
HF: 9. I. Mosquito, 33. B. Thorson, 20. H. Neocleous
F: 4. S. Flanders, 16. J. Smith, 19. F. Phillips
R: 27. L. Munns, 5. X. Duursma, 13. N. Lowden
Int: 6. R. Baldi, 26. W. Broadbent, 17. G. Cocksedge, 10. L. Connolly, 14. T. Hourigan, 3. M. McGannon, 7. B. Patterson, 35. J. van der Pligt, 38. J. Wykes

In: L. Munns, B. Patterson, G. Cocksedge, W. Broadbent
Out: R. Henkel

Dandenong Stingrays

B: 32. D. Frampton, 56. M. Cumming, 2. H. Young
HB: 16. J. Frawley, 5. A. Paterson, 58. W. Hamill
C: 3. J.  Plumridge, 23. C.  Hustwaite, 7. J.  Taylor
HF: 17. F. Bayne, 29. B. Williams, 42. J. Nanscawen
F: 15. T. Bedford, 28. B. Schmidt, 14. A. Darling
R: 13. R. Bowman, 18. M. Riordan, 47. J. Hickey
Int: 37. B. Angwin, 31. H. Briggs, 33. J. Carosella, 49. M. Cottrell, 36. S. Cumming, 9. Z. Foot, 12. M. Gahan, 27. L. McDonnell

In: M. Gahan, B. Angwin

SANDRINGHAM DRAGONS vs. OAKLEIGH CHARGERS 
Round 2 – Saturday, March 31, 2pm
RAMS Arena, Craigieburn

In a top-of-the-table clash, Sandringham Dragons meet Oakleigh Chargers at RAMS Arena. Last week both sides had impressive victories in the wet over Northern Knights and Eastern Ranges respectively. With both teams among the strongest in the league, it is anticipated to be an exciting clash. Max King will add to an already strong line-up at full-forward, joining his brother Ben who was impressive down back last week with 14 disposals, sneaking forward in the final term to boot two goals.

Bailey Smith was the star of the show for the Dragons against the Knights, as he amassed 37 disposals (22 contested), four marks, seven tackles, 12 clearances and eight inside 50s in a complete performance. Liam Stocker (19 disposals, nine tackles, five clearances and four inside 50s) was also impressive, a prime mover in the midfield, while Will Kennedy moved well for a key forward, laying seven tackles and booting a goal from 14 disposals. Bottom-age ruck Andrew Courtney had 20 hitouts, assisted by James Rendell with eight, as well as six inside 50s. Alastair Richards was another player who worked well across the ground, collecting 18 disposals, three clearances and four inside 50s.

For Oakleigh, it was an even contribution as well, playing keepings-off in the wet, restricting the Ranges to just 200 disposals while notching up 318 of their own. Noah Anderson (25), Xavier O’Neill (23), Riley Collier-Dawkins (22), Matt Rowell (22), Noah Answerth (22) and Jack Ross (22) all found plenty of the ball, while combining for 23 clearances and 23 inside 50s – the latter of which was equal to the entire Eastern side. O’Neill hit the scoreboard with two crucial goals, as did small forward Daniel Scala. Collier-Dawkins had a round-high four score assists showing he has the ability to indirectly hurt the opposition on the scoreboard. The big question will be whether or not Oakleigh can contain Smith and the Dragons from beating them at their own possession game, or whether the Dragons tall timber will stretch the Chargers’ defence.

Sandringham Dragons

B: 19. S. Forbes, 69. C. Watts, 23. A. Hanrahan
HB: 6. H. Houlahan, 29. B. King, 9. R. Macdermid
C: 8. K.  Owens, 7. L.  Stocker, 10. S.  Sofronidis
HF: 17. J. Denborough, 33. W. Kennedy, 18. A. Seaton
F: 27. J. Mahony, 31. M. King, 48. J. Worrell
R: 28. J. Rendell, 5. B. Smith, 2. A. Richards
Int: 20. H. Bede, 36. M. Bergman, 72. D. Chirgwin, 59. A. Courtney, 12. C. Jones, 26. F. Maginness, 21. D. McNeish, 53. H. Ralphsmith, 11. N. Stamatis

In: M. King, A. Hanrahan, H. Bede

Oakleigh Chargers

B: 3. J. Ayton-Delaney, 33. M. Warren, 16. L. Westwood
HB: 23. I. Quaynor, 30. B. Wraith, 22. D. Williams
C: 17. T.  Bianco, 8. N.  Anderson, 11. M.  Rowell
HF: 38. Z. Hart, 4. W. Kelly, 10. C. Whitehead
F: 32. J. Ross, 7. J. Robertson, 25. D. Scala
R: 79. B. Griffiths31, 12. N. Answerth , 5. X. O’Neill
Int: 13. A. Bosenavulagi, 1. R. Collier-Dawkins, 14. K. Dunkley, 35. X. Fry, 65. L. Harry, 34. C. Leon, 9. J. Rowbottom, 18. B. Silvagni, 28. O. Simpson

In: C. Leon, L. Harry, X. Fry

NORTHERN KNIGHTS v. WESTERN JETS 
Round 2 – Saturday, March 31, 4.15pm

In the second game of the double header, Northern Knights take on Western Jets. The Knights were soundly beaten by the Sandringham Dragons in the wet at Frankston last week, while Western got up in a thriller against Calder Cannons in the season opener. In round one the Knights’ defensive pressure could not be questioned, laying 94 tackles and having 41 rebounds. Ryan Gardner led the way with double-figure rebounds and 22 disposals, while captain Braedyn Gillard had 22 disposals (16 contested), five tackles and six clearances.

The Knights looked to Gillard and Tom McKenzie in the midfield, with the pair amassing 11 of the team’s 26 clearances in round one. Tom Hallebone performed strongly in the ruck, having 17 hitouts, a performance he would like to repeat against the 199cm, 109kg man mountain that is Darren Walters. Around the ground the Knights had plenty of contributors including defender Lachlan Potter (16 disposals, three marks) and forward Patrik Della Rocca (nine disposals, three marks, four tackles and three inside 50s). Josh D’Intinosante was one of the more impressive debutants on the day, collecting 16 disposals, two marks, two clearances, five inside 50s and laying five tackles.

The Jets only had three more clearances than the Knights in their clash with Calder, but had an impressive 47 inside 50s. Captain Xavier O’Halloran was outstanding with 10 inside 50s to go with his 22 disposals, eight clearances and a goal. Connor Thar had four clearances to go with his 20 disposals, while Stefan Radovanovic was good off half-back with 14 disposals, four marks and five rebounds. Aaron Clarke caused all sorts of issues for Calder last week with his 194cm frame helping him boot three goals to be the leading goal kicker for the Jets. Bottom-ager Darcy Cassar was another impressive player, amassing 19 disposals (at 74 per cent efficiency), and will continue to impress throughout the season.

Northern Knights

B: 25. J. Davies, 28. S. Uzelac, 5. L. Potter
HB: 1. R. Gardner, 33. J. Randall, 9. C. Simonsen
C: 30. J.  McInerney, 3. B.  Gillard, 15. O.  White
HF: 8. A. Carafa, 12. J. Naylor, 20. P. Della Rocca
F: 17. J. D’Intinosante, 21. M. Baker, 40. N. Mayne
R: 16. T. Hallebone, 4. T. McKenzie, 10. B. Bell
Int: 35. K. Agosta, 41. X. Bateman, 24. R. Bowkett, 18. S. Brazier, 34. Z. Hudson, 27. J. Lucente, 43. J. Murphy, 6. X. Naish, 13. S. Philp

In: S. Uzelac, J. Naylor, X. Bateman

Western Jets

B: 28. J. Papachatzakis, 37. H. Murphy, 41. L. Rzanovski
HB: 39. S. Radovanovic, 38. B. Khamis, 6. L. Rocci
C: 17. D.  Andrews , 33. X.  O’Halloran, 18. B.  Colley
HF: 24. J. Honey, 31. E. Jeka, 7. J. Watkins
F: 20. D. Cassar, 45. A. Clarke, 2. T. Rudic
R: 47. D. Walters, 36. J. Rice, 11. Z. Butters
Int: 25. S. Johnson, 10. S. Kyriazis, 22. O. Manton, 30. L. Pettigrove, 12. C. Thar, 35. T. Warner

In: J. Jenkins

GEELONG FALCONS vs. GREATER WESTERN VICTORIA REBELS 
Round 2 – Sunday, April 1, 1pm
GMHBA Stadium, Geelong

In the final game of the round, two sides that suffered round one losses were the Geelong Falcons and GWV Rebels. The Falcons were inaccurate against the Dandenong Stingrays, finishing with 6.11, three of which came in the final term. The Rebels, on the other hand, were in control for most of the game but were outlasted by a fast-finishing Bendigo Pioneers outfit. Tom Berry sat out the last term with concussion and has failed to get up this week which will be a huge loss for the Rebels, so they will look to their other midfielders to step up.

Geelong has no shortage of talented talls, with Sam Conway and Sam Christensen replaced by Dane Hollenkamp and Tom Richardson in the side for round two, while Blake Schlensog will look to build on his performance from round one after a solid 12 disposals, 11 hitouts, five inside 50s and a goal. Through the midfield it was the Falcons big guns that shone brightest, with Ed McHenry picking up a whopping 11 clearances to accompany his 26 disposals, two marks, five inside 50s, five tackles and four rebounds. Sam Walsh (26 disposals, four clearances and nine tackles) and Oscar Brownless (19 disposals, five marks and seven tackles) performed strongly, while Charlie Sprague was impressive up forward with three goals from 16 disposals.

The Rebels will hope the likes of Scott Carlin, Lochie Dawson and Charlie Wilson stand up in Berry’s absence this weekend. With Berry missing the last quarter, the Rebels had just 50 disposals to the Pioneers’ 91, and took just three marks for the term – the Pioneers took 22. Carlin was ultra-impressive across four quarters, finishing the game with 30 disposals (15 contested), six clearances, four inside 50s, four tackles and five rebounds, while Wilson booted two goals from 20 touches and eight clearances, and Dawson had seven clearances and four inside 50s to go with his 24 disposals. Key forward Tylar Watts had six disposals and seven hitouts and will look to be a target this weekend, while the dangerous Jed Hill will hope to continue his form after adding two goals to his 11 disposals and five marks.

Geelong Falcons

B: 7. C. Harris, 49. D. Hollenkamp, 25. L. Taylor
HB: 40. J. Clark, 39. C. Idun, 13. E. Floyd
C: 6. D.  Madigan, 22. S.  Walsh, 3. K.  Rayner
HF: 30. O. Brownless, 48. B. Schlensog, 2. S. Torpy
F: 16. B. Scott, 31. C. Cartledge, 36. C. Sprague
R: 45. T. Richardson, 8. E. McHenry, 20. B. Ham
Int: 38. S. Bourke, 1. J. Dahlhaus, 10. B. Mensch, 4. C. Mulgrew, 21. L. Smith, 27. N. Young

In: D. Hollenkamp, T. Richardson, L. Smith, J. Muhor, B. Scott
Out: S. Christensen,  C. Tanis,  S. Conway

Greater Western Victoria Rebels

B: 18. B. Helyar, 43. J. Wright, 34. J. O’Connell
HB: 5. H. Jennings, 8. H. Butler, 31. C. Perks
C: 3. S.  Carlin, 2. M.  Schnerring, 25. T.  Shannon
HF: 11. J. Chatfield, 7. M. Martin, 14. J. Hill
F: 15. K. Councillor, 20. T. Watts, 21. I. Grant
R: 29. P. Glanford, 6. C. Wilson, 9. L. Dawson
Int: 36. M. Bidmade, 12. A. Gove, 19. J. Henderson, 10. J. Lohmann, 47. T. Mahony, 39. J. Mawson

In: J. Mawson, C. Perks, C. Craig-Peters, J. Bibby
Out: B. Annett, T. Berry