THE race to finals is well and truly heating up, with the top and bottom halves of the ladder taking on the sides closest to them in the penultimate round of Men’s Premier Division for 2019.

VIC M-League 2019
Men’s Premier Division – Round 13
20/11/19
8:40pm

Melbourne City Blackhawks will be thanking their lucky stars this round to not be in the top four, sitting in fifth with a match against the struggling Ariels on Wednesday and another low-ladder match next week key for the side making a run for finals. Comparatively, Pasifika Sharks sit in fourth and in reality, need a win both this round and next round to make finals and are coming up against Geelong Cougars this week who have sat in top spot for majority of the season – but only beat Sharks by two goals earlier this year. Meanwhile, Southern Seahawks take on DDNA in an interesting match between sixth and seventh, with DDNA having an inconsistent season pushing some higher teams but ultimately going down to bottom-ranked Ariels last round while the Seahawks have showed plenty of promise but fallen short a few too many times to really fight for a spot in finals in this late stage.

One of the bigger matches this round will see St Therese in third take on Sirens Netball in second. The Saints are currently sitting two wins between first and second but have been a fairly consistent side this season despite some minor hiccups. Sirens have proved again and again that they should not be underestimated, with the side clean, efficient and composed with ball in hand. The two sides could not be separated last time they met, with Sirens prevailing by only two goals after trailing for most of the match, but the side has continued to impress throughout the season so will be a real tough opponent for St Therese. A key matchup this round is that between the Saints’ defensive unit, with Dylan Nexhip, Matthew Longhurst and Tristan Comans able to impact with their timing and elevation key against the impeccable combination of Sirens shooters, Brodie Roberts and Josh Smith. The Sirens pair share the load and can ultimately shoot from anywhere in the circle, making the duo dangerous when on song and ultimately creating an unstoppable attack line with the opposition unable to focus on just the one option at the post. Through the midcourt, Riley Richardson and Guy Keane will be key for the Saints to make use of turnover ball, while the vocal Sirens defensive unit of Andrew Burgess and Will Jamison will need to be at their best to deny easy ball from the Saints in attack.