Round 3 is here and we have some great games in store. Check out our Games of the Week previews below:
CM
Blackburn vs Camberwell
A local clash between the neighbouring Blackburn Vikings and Camberwell Dragons features as this week’s Game of the Round. The Vikings have had a couple of heavy losses after their Round 1 win against newcomers to Championship Men Bellarine so will be looking to bounce back as they face the Dragons. To do so, they’re going to require some additional support around star recruit Titgyeth Kwajakwan who is averaging 17 points a game, whilst being a primary defender on opposition guards. The Dragons will look for Jay Mackenzie to fire with fresh legs after missing last weekend, his scoring and rebounding will be exactly what they need against the frontline of Bourke and Mitchell. This one is sure to go down to the wire this Saturday night at Mullum Mullum Stadium.
CW
Bulleen vs Camberwell
The undefeated Bulleen Boomers will host the Camberwell Dragons this Saturday night at East Doncaster Secondary College. The Dragons have surprised the league by starting with strong wins over Pakenham and Hume before a heavy defeat at the hands of league favourites Wyndham. The Dragons scoring depth to start the season has been impressive with a team-first mentality to their offensive load. With a similar spread of the scoring load, Bulleen is anchored by star Olivia Bontempelli who is averaging 19 points a game to start the year with a very impressive 78% from the land of plenty. It’ll certainly be interesting to see what the Dragons do to curb Bontempelli’s influence on this one.
D1M
Coburg vs RMIT
A local derby between RMIT and Coburg features as this week’s game of the round. Coming off very different results from Round 2 we aren’t entirely sure of what to expect from this game. Coburg were unable to get anything going last week offensively, with Kobe Pearson completely locked up and the team only shooting at 25% for the game. They’ll be needing Pearson, McBrearty and Maluma to step up this week to keep the scoreboard ticking over. RMIT have been led as expected by Steve Coffey, Daniel Steen, and a rejuvenated Darcy Daniels to an undefeated record thus far. We expect Coburg to send defensive specialist Mweemba Maluma to try and slow down the influence of Steve Coffey, can it be done though?
D1W
Melbourne University vs Craigieburn
We expect this game to be a hot encounter at Melbourne University on Saturday Night! Whilst neither team have set the world on fire in the first two rounds, they have shown great promise moving forward for the rest of the season. Craigieburn are coming off the back of an unlucky loss to Mildura at the buzzer where we first got a look at new recruit Courtney Strait who contributed strongly with 14 points and 8 rebounds. It looks as though she is the perfect addition next to Myra and Carley Cranston. For Melbourne University, they need some consistent support around star players Amelia Smith and Maddison O’Nial, whilst they have been scoring 15 and 11 points respectively, to go with their rebounding dominance, they are still looking for that consistent third cog to get them rolling in season 2023. Will they find it this week against the Eagles?
D2M
Wallan vs Craigieburn
The undefeated Wallan Panthers host Craigieburn this week at RB Robson Stadium. Wallan have been impressive early with some hard-fought wins against Melton and Mornington thus far in their campaign. The combination of Best, Lallemand and O’Connor has given opposition teams some headaches so far this year as the 3 of them have proven to step up at different times in the game. Meanwhile, for Craigieburn, Gene Vocale had a quieter week on the offensive end which gave Coach Samuel some problems to solve. Whilst Liam Watt was able to provide a scoring punch off the bench, it was on the defensive end where Craigieburn had their struggles, unable to contain the powerful scoring of Mildura on their home deck. If Craigieburn can tighten up their defence, we see them giving Wallan a good challenge this weekend!
D2W
Coburg vs RMIT
A somewhat local rivalry will be revisited this Sunday at Coburg Stadium as the Giants host the Redbacks. With both teams coming off the back of disappointing losses, they’re both hunting that much needed first up win to get their season rolling. Siobhan Mac Aodha got her season going last weekend with 18 points to keep her team competitive against a strong Wallan side, RMIT will be looking to reduce her output in this one to give them the edge. Lauren McInnes will need to keep her sharp-shooting up to challenge the Giants this weekend, will it be Whiteley, Dance or Host that provides that support alongside her this week? Get down to Coburg to find out!
VYCM
Eltham vs Knox
Much to expect in Round 3 with 2 large metro associations going head-to-head in a close battle in the Terril conference. A 3-0 Knox are hosted by a strong Eltham unit over in Eltham High. Knox have come out of the gates quickly making swift work of Waverley Blackburn and the 2022 Youth One Men champions Frankston. With NBL1 beginning this weekend, we might see some other players making a large impact in this matchup including Harry Stones assisting the exceptional Zahn Agosta and Mitchell Blackburn. Che Brogan has been impressive early in the season off the bench for Knox with his versatile offensive skillset working next to veteran Riley Spicer. Knox looking to go 4-0 and Eltham eyeing off that top-of-the-table spot, this will be a big game.
VYCW
Altona vs Melbourne
Looking for a game with a matchup with a combined 0 losses for the year thus far? Look no further as a 2-0 Altona host the 3-0 Melbourne Tigers. Melbourne had a great weekend in Round 2 knocking off Dandenong by just 3 to then blow out the Raiders on the Sunday. Looking to continue their early winning streak, Altona smoked the Sabers in Round 2 with all but 1 player scoring which makes for a very well-rounded group. Alicia Sciberras is having a dominant start to the year, look for Altona to continue to go through her in this match-up. These are 2 teams who can without a doubt put points on the board, look for this game to come down to the wire!
YL1M
Camberwell vs Hume
A top-of-the-table clash with the Camberwell Dragons hosting the Hume Broncos with the winner remaining undefeated. Camberwell have had 3 blowout wins early this season giving their bench players consistent minutes across the board. Veterans Dean and Veitch hovering around the 20-minute mark yet averaging very solid numbers. Hume on the other hand had a close win in Round 2 just getting over the line against Coburg with 4 players scoring double figures. With Championship Men playing on the Sunday is it likely we could see a massive matchup between 2 dominant forwards of Jackson Dean and Corey Fiddes. A matchup you do not want to miss!
YL1W
Eltham vs Bulleen
Not only will this be a game to keep both eyes on, but it is also a geographic hit-out, association rivalry, and top-of-the-table game with the Eltham Wildcats hosting the Bulleen Boomers! These are the games Big V look forward to as there is more than just a W these teams are playing for as there is history between these 2 clubs after years and years of battles locally in the EDJBA. Both groups are 3-0 so one will finish round 3 with a stroke in the loss column. With Eltham’s NBL1 Women beginning their season campaign this weekend we could see a different Youth League group which is great for their development, look for Steph Fell and Meghan Stagoll to step up big in this matchup against the dominant Tahlia Leeson.
YL2M
Western Port vs Mornington
A big battle down the coast as very close neighbours Western Port and Mornington find one another early in the year for the 1st of their 2 hit outs in the Watson conference. With just the close walk over to Somerville Recreation Centre, the Breakers hope to build on their winning streak to go 3-0 after the weekend whilst Western Port will look to make quick work of the Breakers on the Saturday as they back it up on Sunday against Melbourne University. After dropping the W to Wallan in Round 2, Kurt Alaimo will look to put his boys on his back and lift them across the line to give Mornington their first loss for the year. If you’re not busy, be sure to get down to this local rivalry as there will be a lot on the line for these two units.
YL2W
Albury Wodonga vs Bellarine
Like many others in this round, we find another top-of-the-table matchup against the Bellarine Storm and Albury Wodonga Bandits. Walking away with 2 W’s in Rounds 1 and 2, there will be one group walking away with a loss on Saturday night with another remaining on top of the table. Bellarine will be the travelling team which could make a difference in the hit-out on the weekend. Georgie Salinger has had an impressive start to the season as their leading scorer with Jasmine Holdsworth hovering around the double-double average after 2 games. Bellarine’s Piper Copeland somehow made a miraculous hook shot to get the win in Round 2 to get the win over Whittlesea, will we see her create magic again on the road? The only way to know is to be there!
