It's the last Meat Pie before the polls close, so let's tackle the issues in rugby like we're a Prime Minister tackling kids in a backyard game of footy!
The Chargers will still be nursing hangovers from the weekend after a hugely successful Pride Round. Whilst they didn't get the biccies against the Bucks in their Prem Reserves fixture, they certainly got jaws wagging during their post match performance at Sircuit.
We're reliably informed rugby has a new cult following in the well heeled end of town, with the muscle toned bodies of rugby players leaving many questioning why they hadn't been to a match sooner!
New recruits....INCOMING!!!
The Rugby World Cup's arrival on Australian shores had barely been announced when a flood of emails lit up the Rugby Victoria directory. It appears interest in last week's state team tryouts peaked after the announcement, with many applicants from the other rugby code keen to try out for the rep teams.
Whilst most admitted to having never played rugby union before, it seems the allure of a World Cup on Australian shores has many questioning whether Kangaroos are really superior to Wallabies/Wallaroos after all...
An interesting case before the judiciary this week, with a certain red card issued to a youngster for a high shot on an opposition player.
The catch? The two players are cousins.
The kicker? The card bearing referee is related to the two players involved in the incident!
Should make for a fun family reunion...
The new Melbourne Uni homeground of Ron Barassi Senior Park is certaily garnishing rave reviews and the setting underneath the Bolte bridge makes for some picturesque shots.
Perhaps it was the taste of defeat that coloured one particular visitors impression last week though, overheard muttering that 'only trolls live under bridges'
Yes - Winning Trolls.
This is normally a huge battle but with Melbourne losing to the students last week 24 – 27 and Harlequins getting out of jail against Power House 29 – 28 there will be some added spice for both teams to find their best form.
The Unicorns will be hurting after last Saturday where they didn’t capitalise on their possession, gave away too many penalties and didn’t follow their game plan of previous weeks. They will be looking to bounce back at home against unbeaten Harlequins who also had a big scare but avoided disaster by being awarded a second go at a conversion as Powerhouse yelled as they charged the kicker.
Taylor Acheson calmly slotted his second attempt to commit daylight robbery and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. There will be a large vocal crowd at Orrong that should be in full voice and this game will go right down to the wire.
Who controls their emotions and the breakdown will triumph in this battle.
Harlequins to remain unbeaten in a tight one by 7 points.
What a match up this will be! Any other week this is match of the round.
Unbeaten Moorabbin will have their sternest test so far when the Eagles come visiting. Moorabbin are yet to play a top 4 team so this will be a clear indicator of where they actually are.
They have been playing some good controlled footy and might rue not getting the bonus point against a tenacious Box Hill last week.
The eagles will still be concerned about their error rate and gifting opponents easy tries and if they don’t fix it this week then the Rams will pounce. With a big crowd at Harold Catterson reserve expected to be in full voice the Rams will feel like they are playing with 16 men.
Again, who controls emotions and keeps Ollie Kellett from having to make too many big decisions will win this.
Endeavour to break the Moorabbin streak by 5 points
The big matchups just keep coming. For the winner - keep in touch with the top 4. For the loser -it’s about trying to keep their heads up and battle back into contention.
Uni played a smart tactical game last week that their coaching staff will be proud of. Although Lotu Aiuta kicked 5 penalties and Ratu Naibuka scored 2 tries, the real heroes were the Uni backrowers who worked themselves to a standstill in defence and pilfering the ball.
If Box Hill are to get the win they must nullify this trio and starve them of opportunities. Box Hill will be looking for a better attacking performance after only scoring one try against Moorabbin last week and there forward pack need to be metre eaters to get the go forward for their dangerous backs.
This is a big test for both teams under the shadows of the Bolte bridge.
The Uni Trolls to maintain momentum and win by 8 points
This is another tantalising match up with 2 teams playing who are yet to get a win on the board.
Footscray are back at the kennel again and will feel buoyed by a better performance last week (although they are still leaking too many tries) and with more numbers expected to return, they will feel they have a big shot to knock over Power House and record their first win.
The real question will be how House respond this week after a heart wrenching loss against Harlequins.
Power House are starting to play a style that can compete with the top teams, they just need to minimise the lapses in concentration.
Footscray need to get off to a good start and grow some belief in their ranks if they are to seriously challenge the House and get off the foot of the table.
Power House to win by 10
