Lancaster and Girgarre, along with Merrigum and Stanhope, will provide a smorgasbord of viewing for Kyabram district football fans when they meet in part two of round 14 on July 30.
This weekend there are four matches in part one of the 14th round of home-and-away matches, the two teams preventing Girgarre from making a charge for the finals both featuring Dookie and Nagambie.
Nagambie currently occupies the final spot in the top eight, but faces unbeaten top-of-the-ladder neighbour Avenel. Dookie, equal on points with Nagambie in ninth spot, has top-four team Shepparton East as its opponent.
Both Dookie and Nagambie are one win ahead of 10th-ranked Girgarre with three rounds remaining. Girgarre, which registered a 209-point win against Rushworth on Saturday, will need to win all three games to make a serious challenge for a spot in the finals.
After the Lancaster match Girgarre has lowly ranked Tallygaroopna and winless bottom team Longwood.
Meanwhile, Lancaster is now ranked fifth and with three wins to end the season could snatch a top four finish — and a double chance for the finals.
Following the Kangaroos game the Wombats face Rushworth and Dookie United.
Girgarre coach Damien Cupido now has a share of the top spot in the Kyabram district goalkicking award, with 74 majors. He bagged 11 against Rushworth on the weekend and with Longwood in the final round — who he kicked 16 against in round three — a triple figure season tally is not out of the question.
He and Violet Town star Jack Exell, who kicked 13 in his team’s win against Tallygaroopna, share the top rung of the goalkicking table as Exell’s teammate Josh Mellington has been sidelined in recent weeks.
At Stanhope on Sunday, with intermittent rain, the Lions ran Avenel to within five points after leading by 10 points at three-quarter time. Stanhope didn’t kick a goal in the final term, while the competition leader kicked three to sneak home with the win.
A week earlier the Lions scored a nailbiting four-point win against Shepparton East. Stanhope is now third on the ladder, with two very winnable games in the final three weeks.
Meanwhile, Merrigum has announced there will be a chance to its senior coach in 2023.
The Bulldogs are sitting seventh on the ladder, fresh from a brave effort against second-ranked Murchison-Toolamba.
Gus Underwood’s full Kyabram district league wrap is on page 14 today in Kyabram Free Press Game On liftout.
