ROUND 3 of Men’s Premier Division is shaping up to be an interesting one, with the top four sides taking on the bottom four in a bid to break away from the pack. While the top three sides are still undefeated, the real question this round is who will finish the week off in fourth and fifth, with Sirens Netball and Blackhawks hot on the tails of the top three.

VIC M-League 2019
Men’s Premier Division – Round 3
11/9/19
7:00pm

To add to the intrigue of Round 3, each top side will play their respective bottom four equivalent – with top of the ladder Geelong Cougars taking on fifth ranked Melbourne City Blackhawks, while second ranked St Therese play Southern Seahawks in sixth. Meanwhile, DDNA are in for a hard slog from the bottom of the ladder, taking on the talented Pasifika Sharks in third.

The final match will see Sirens Netball in fourth take on the Ariels in seventh. Both sides have had the misfortune of playing Pasifika Sharks in the opening rounds, and while the Sharks are not top of the ladder it will take some time for sides to poke holes in their attacking structure with Cameron Powell and Junior Levi almost unstoppable in the circle, with both players able to have a big impact with ball in hand. Meanwhile, the Ariels also played 2018 premiers Geelong Cougars in Round 1, meaning the side potentially have not had an opportunity to reveal all their cards at this early stage in the season. For the Ariels, the question this week will come down to how they combat Sirens’ Brodie Roberts and Josh Smith in the goal circle. While Smith has been the primary shooter for the side, Roberts’ ability to find Smith in the circle and turn and shoot when required could be a real thorn in the side of Ariels defenders Daniel Stone, Brendan Nick and Anthony Williams. Meanwhile, the Sirens can’t afford to ignore the ability of Michael Dower at the post with speed and netball nous to boot in goal attack.