Our Round 5 Games of the Week are shaping up to be a can't-miss! Check out our Games of the Week previews below:
CM
Sunbury vs Wyndham
A 2022 Grand Final rematch with very similar rosters for these two teams on Sunday afternoon at Boardman Stadium. These two teams have seen improved competition around them this season with both teams taking losses at the hands of the improved Hume Broncos. Last week, Wyndham were boosted by the return of Manel Ayol who burst back onto the scene with 19 points per game to go with his 6 rebounds. A match-up that will have fans excited is Maurice Howard and Ish Sanders going head-to-head, these two absolute stars of the competition who are averaging 30 points per game for their teams to go with their 3.6 assists per game. This rivalry is sure to kick-off again this weekend so get on down to Boardman Stadium to check it out.
CW
Hume v McKinnon
The Briana Gray blockbuster takes place as Gray heads back to Broadmeadows Stadium to face off against her old side. The match-up within the match-up for this game will certainly be Kayonna Lee going toe to toe against Gray. Lee and Gray are two of the best forwards within this division, with Gray having the slight advantage in scoring with 17.7 points per game compared to Lee’s 15.2, however, it is the rebounding department that Lee excels in averaging 7 more rebounds per game – will Gray be able to curb her influence? For Hume, it may very well come down to how influential Emma Povh can be, she has been damaging for the Broncos but will be looking to improve on her 3-point shooting as it just hasn’t stuck for her yet this year. Meanwhile, for the Cougars, Emily Suckling has been Gray’s partner in crime averaging 17 points per game and being one of the leaders in 3-point shots made across the season. This one is sure to be a cracker!
D1M
Pakenham v RMIT
How could we find a better game than this? 1st place and undefeated Pakenham Warriors hosting the 4 and 1 RMIT Redbacks. The stage is set for this to be a fast-paced game with unbelievable talent on display with the likes of Joe Davis and Steve Coffey facing off against each other. Whilst they play vastly different roles for their teams, their influence is very evident on both ends of the floor. We expect former Warrior Daniel Steen to have the defensive job on Joe Davis despite being slightly undersized comparatively, he will not let Davis get anything easy. For the Warriors it may be veteran Josh Dow who has the role of slowing down Coffey to ensure he doesn’t heat up. With two of the best offences in the division going at it, this is going to be full of highlights!
D1W
Altona v Melbourne Uni
Melbourne University head to Altona on Sunday in an incredibly important game for them to keep their finals hopes alive. If they win this game, they will still be in touch with the majority of the field, however, a loss in this could mean that teams start to pull away and things get that little bit more difficult. They will be needing Amelia Smith and Maddison O’Nial to get things going to be in this game against the Gators, their dominance on the offensive rebounds will be important again. For the Gators, they have been having several different contributors each week, led by star Jordan Wilson who is averaging 15 points per game to go with her 2 steals a game. The rebound count this game could be a determining factor for those extra possessions – we anticipate a close one!
D2M
Craigieburn vs Surf Coast
This week’s game of the week is between two teams that haven’t had the start to the season that they’d been looking for. Whilst they’ve started the season slowly, we anticipate that they will get things going in the right direction as they continue to build chemistry. For the Eagles, the most recent addition of Guy Dupoy has been beneficial for their scoring, averaging 16.5 points per game alongside guards Abraham Solano and Gene Vocale. The big question mark over Craigieburn is how they are going to tidy up on the defensive end, after giving up close to 100 points in 3 of their 4 games so far. Surf Coast have struggled with its cohesion, not being able to get the same players on the court each week. Whilst Tyler Erard and Conrad Cooper have been mainstays and high-level contributors with both their scoring and rebounding, it hasn’t been enough to form any sort of consistency in the early part of the season for the Chargers. Which team will win this battle and try to start their climb back up the ladder?
D2W
Collingwood v Blackburn
A local battle this week as Collingwood welcomes Blackburn in this 4th vs 5th match-up. Collingwood chalked up a strong win against RMIT last weekend with an impressive team performance, coach Grantley Bernard will be hoping that gives his team confidence to continue that improved form against Blackburn this week. For Blackburn, they will be somewhat disappointed with their start to the season, only being able to get 1 win so far. In a much-improved effort last weekend they only went down to Surf Coast by 6 points as Samantha Zennaro stepped up. They will need to tidy up their shooting percentages if they want to get this season back on track and they will be hoping that happens this week against the All Stars.
VYCM
Nunawading vs Diamond Valley
This Sunday you will find the first hit out between the two Watson conference Nunawading Spectres host the Diamond Valley Eagles in what always is a physical battle. There has always been somewhat of a rivalry between these two teams in Youth Champ as tensions increase throughout the game. Some big players on both sides of the floor look to overpower the next with the likes of Daniel Poelsma and Christian D’Angelo. Diamond Valley have had a battling start struggling to get over the line in numerous close games thus far only notching just the 1 win to start the year. Nunawading on the other hand have had a roller coaster of a start this year looking to find their feet. Both need this win to gain some momentum, look for Victorian representative Daniel Poelsma to put up big numbers to get his boys over the line.
VYCW
Ringwood vs Bendigo
A top-of-the-table clash in the Terril conferences as we see the #1 seed Ringwood Hawks host the 3rd-placed Bendigo Braves over at The Rings on Sunday. The Hawks have had a flyer to start the year dropping just one game out of their 6 to the reigning champions in Round 2. Stephanie Georgantas has been very impressive early averaging 21ppg to go with 6 rebounds shooting over 40% from 3pt. With Bendigo’s NBL1 playing on Sunday we could see the core of the Braves take on more time with the likes of Jessica Smith needing to put up big numbers already averaging 18ppg shooting an incredible 51% from the land of plenty! This will be a big game for both sides as Ringwood will look to extend their dominance on top while Bendigo hopes to snatch a game back early.
YL1M
Sherbrooke vs Camberwell
Two top-of-the-table and finals contention teams face one another early in the year as the Sherbrooke Suns host the Camberwell Dragons over in Upwey. Sherbrooke sit high and mighty on top of the table with Camberwell just one game behind. The Suns are an offensively dominant team reaching over 550 points in their 6 games with no sight of slowing down. With the combination of Jacob Brourke-Doggett averaging 20ppg and Dylan Johnstone with 18ppg this is a duo to be reckoned with. Luckily the Dragons have their own duo made up of Jackson Dean and Sam Veitch. This battle will test both sides as all pieces will need to add value the second they step on court. Experience on both ends with eyes locked on VYC for 2024, who do you think will be the most dominant and take out the W?
YL1W
Craigieburn vs Geelong United
It’s a battle for 7th place on Saturday night as Craigieburn host Geelong United in a 7th vs 8th standoff early in the year. As it is less about ladder positions in round 5 and more about getting into a good rhythm early in the year, this game cannot be put aside as these two have been right by one another the whole way this year. Neither side have that one player who goes off for 20pts, they play team basketball with numerous scorers hovering around the 10pt mark, making it very hard to scout and defend for any player can have their day. Craigieburn are going into the game with a little more momentum after a win in Round 4 over the Venom with Geelong falling just short to McKinnon. Geelong, away from home will be eager to snatch this W and get back on a winning run.
YL2M
Melton vs Chelsea
A once-off hit out this week between the Melton Thoroughbreds and the Chelsea Gulls in Youth League Two early in the year with both groups looking to get into a rhythm stuck on a 1-4 record. Melton sitting 7th in Terril and Chelsea 6th in Watson neither too far off the pace, these are the games you need, across conference. The duo of Tyson Hamilton and Poth Machar have been consistent across the board both adding value in different areas of the game making for a tough pair to guard. Chelsea are spread across the board with a number of players averaging over 10ppg with Angielo Hechanova just one rebound shy of a double-double average. It is a bit of travel for Chelsea to cover with Melton being the other side of the city, let's hope this does not make a difference in how they play!
YL2W
Western Port vs Southern Peninsula
Hovering around the middle of the table we find Western Port and Southern Peninsula, sitting 4th and 5th with just one game separating them. Southern Peninsula have won their last 2 looking to go 2-0 for the weekend taking on Sherbrooke on Saturday night with Western Port also playing Saturday against Whittlesea. This Sunday battle will test their execution on both ends of the floor as bodies begin to tire and fatigue begins to set in. Eryn Rosowski has been putting up massive numbers already rebounding the ball more than she is scoring averaging 14ppg to go with 19rebounds, 7 of which are offensive! Tamanya Hodge is top scoring for the Steelers with 14ppg along with her 5 steals per game looking to be one of the competition's best all-round players. Both having Saturday night games, those who bounce back quickly and find their tempo early will be in a great position to take this one out, who do you think it’ll be?
