Border Mail Round 13 – Preview
Culcairn recruit Ben Gould says he won’t be lacking any motivation when he faces his former Brock-Burrum teammates at Burrumbuttock on Saturday.
Gould was a premiership player with the Saints in 2013 but missed out on the 2015 triumph after being overlooked.
Gould said he held no animosity towards his former premiership teammates.
“I loved my time at Brock-Burrum and it was a pretty tight-knit group out there and is a big reason why they have been so successful recently,” Gould said.
“I’m good mates with Darcy I’Anson, Josh McCudden and also got along well with Luke Brauer, Nico Sedgwick and the Boulton boys (Joe and Ron).
“I was really looking forward to playing against them in the first round and I can’t wait for Saturday either.
“It just gives me a bit of extra motivation to play well.
“I don’t hide from the fact that I was dropped from the side when I was there previously and I feel I have got a point to prove.”
Gould has been a welcome addition to the Lions’ midfield and provides another dimension alongside ball magnet Jye Shields, Dane Hallinan, Adam Eady and Pat Wall.
He and Albury teammate Caleb Simmonds both signed with the Lions over the summer.
Gould said Lions coach Josh Hillary was instrumental in him heading bush from Albury again this season.
“Obviously Josh Hillary is coaching and was at Albury previously,” he said.
“I knew Culcairn was a young, hungry side and that really appealed to me.
“I’m loving the switch and really thrive on being handed the extra responsibility of playing predominantly in the mid-field.
“I feel we have got a really good mix of ball winners and have got the cattle to have a serious tilt at the flag.
“It’s just up to us now to put it all together against the powerhouses like Osborne and Brock-Burrum.”
Gould went head-to-head with Ron Boulton last time the two sides clashed and is expecting the same match-up again on the weekend.
Culcairn had its eight match winning streak snapped by Osborne the previous round and will be desperate to rebound strongly against the defending premier.
Gould missed last round and admitted it was hard to watch from the sidelines as the Tigers notched a convincing 48 point victory.
“It was disappointing not to be able to play against Osborne,” he said.
“Osborne have beaten us twice now and I suppose you could say are our kryptonite.
“We had a couple out but so did they but were still able to produce some decent footy.
“Watching from the sidelines I thought we beat ourselves with our skill level and kept turning the footy over.
“The drive and hunger for the contest was there but we just lacked polish.
“Hopefully we learnt from our mistakes.”
Recent history suggests there will be little between Lockhart when it hosts Billabong Crows on Saturday.
The Crows won by one and eight points in their two encounters last year.
The stakes are higher this time around with the sixth-placed Demons desperate for another four points to keep their finals aspirations alive.
Football manager, Ian Pertzel, said the Demons will be forced to tread the finals tightrope for the remainder of the season.
“It’s basically do or die on Saturday,” Pertzel said.
“We’ll get a couple back and be close to full-strength, so we haven’t got any excuses if we get beat.
“Last year was the first time the Crows have beaten us since joining the league, so we can take a bit of confidence out of that.”
The Demons are expected to regain classy midfielder Jesse Margosis, Luke Argus and Sean Wilkinson.
FIXTURE
ROUND 13
Brock-Burrum v Culcairn
Holbrook v Jindera
Osborne v Henty
RWW Giants v Magpies
Lockhart v Bill Crows
CDHBU v Howlong
TIPS
LUKE BRAUER
Brock-Burrum, Howlong, Holbrook, Billabong Crows, Osborne, RWW
TOTAL: 57
BRETT KOHLHAGEN
Brock-Burrum, Howlong, Holbrook, Lockhart, Osborne, RWW
TOTAL: 57
ANTHONY ARMSTRONG
Brock-Burrum, Howlong, Holbrook, Billabong Crows, Osborne, RWW
TOTAL: 50
CAMERON JONES
Brock-Burrum, Howlong, Holbrook, Billabong Crows, Osborne, RWW
TOTAL: 49
SNIPPETS
SAINTS RETURN
Brock-Burrum are expected to welcome back up to four players for its crunch clash with Culcairn at Burrumbuttock on Saturday. Coach Kade Stevens has been missing since round 3 but has been training strongly in recent weeks. John-Roy Williams, Nico Sedgwick, Luke Schilg and Tyson Neander also missed last round but could make a welcome return.
HALL OF FAME
The Hume league will hold its annual Hall of Fame dinner on July 31. Last year the league had six inductees. Six-time Howlong best and fairest winner Terry O’Halloran was joined by Lockhart stalwart John Trevaskis, brothers Kelly and George Azzi and netball identities Noreen Norman and Jill Kohlhagen.
MISSING GIANT
Rand-Walbundrie-Walla defender Tom Holman is expected to miss the next month after being knocked out against Howlong last round. Holman suffered a concussion as well as injuring his hand in the incident. Howlong’s Ryan Cannon was found guilty of rough conduct and handed a three match suspension at the tribunal last week.
