THERE are a number of enticing fixtures tonight in the VNL, and some of which could have a very big baring on the season. We preview Round 17 with a focus on our featured match between Geelong Cougars and City West Faclons.

MATCH OF THE ROUND

Geelong Cougars vs. City West Falcons

LAST TIME THEY MET

Last time these sides met was almost three months ago, and on that particular night the Falcons emerged easy victors, defeating the Cougars by 15 goals at their home court in Altona.

The lead gradually grew for the Falcons as the match progressed, ultimately resulting in the final margin that was.

The Falcons had Shimona Jok at their disposal that night, who no longer plays for them after becoming a crucial part of the Melbourne Mavericks side.

KEY PLAYERS

The biggest weapon for the Falcons is their shooting end.

Jane Cook and Uneeq Palavi are a daunting prospect to come up against, with the pair not only hard to match up on thanks to their height but also for their shooting accuracy.

It will likely be Brooke Allan’s job at goal keeper to take on the might of Cook, while either Indya Forde or Charli Nicol will be the one to take on Palavi, but they may have to chop and change combinations if Cook and Palavi get too much control of the game.

RAMIFICATIONS

For the Falcons, very little changes ladder-wise whether they win or lose tonight.

They are already two and a half games clear on top of the ladder, so at worse that gap closes a little if they lose tonight.

However, in stark contrast, there is a lot more riding on tonight’s match for Geelong.

The Cougars currently sit in fifth on the ladder, with percentage being all that splits them from the fourth placed Hawks and the sixth placed Lightning.

The Lightning crucially have the bye this weekend, but with the ladder being as tight as it is the Cougars cannot afford to drop many more matches.

ROUND 17 FIXTURE:

Casey vs. Bendigo
Peninsula vs. North East
Western Warriors vs. Boroondara
Southern Saints vs. Hawks

BYE: Melbourne Uni