SWFL round three preview: make-or-break week for the Dons

Round three will also feature the first of the season’s marquee games with HBL and Harvey battling for the Western Cellars Cup while Carey Park host Bunbury with the Nani Cup on the line.

With two rounds in the books, the SWFL season is starting to take shape. Expected finals contenders Harvey and Donnybrook are still looking for a win, while Carey Park will be looking to continue their dream start.

Check out our preview of the weekend’s games and let us know who you think will win.

Donnybrook have had a horror start to the season, with losses against HBL and AMR, and wouldn’t be confident coming into round three with a clash against league-leading Collie on the cards.

Donnybrook recruited several big names to fill out their midfield and while they have performed well, the Dons have been lacking in the forward line.

The Dons are the lowest scoring team in the league, having kicked just 13 goals across their two games, and haven’t had a dangerous forward kick a bag.

On the other hand, Collie have arguably the strongest defence in the competition, led by Matt Blackford and Mat Michael, and have conceded just eight goals for the season.

The first quarter will be make-or-break for Donnybrook, who have gotten off to slow starts in both their games and had too much to do late in games.

With the three-pronged attack of Jayce Fontana, Blair Malatesta and Joel Houghton sharing the load for the Eagles, this game has the makings of a big win for Collie. 

South Bunbury are winless and sit second-last on the ladder, but that doesn’t quite tell the tale of their season so far.

The Tigers were terrible in round one against Carey Park, but turned it around last week and were unlucky not to come away with the win over HBL.

The problem for the Tigers was hitting the scoreboard and where their goals are coming from. Key forward Leigh Kohlmann has been a strong performer, kicking more than half of South Bunbury’s goals but they need more input on the scoreboard from other forwards and midfielders to be competitive.

Augusta-Margaret River showed why they were highly touted coming into the season with a strong win over Donnybrook in the wet and would be confident hosting the Tigers at their home ground.

The key to the game will be if South Bunbury can play out the full four quarters. The Tigers lost the game last week when they allowed HBL to kick four late goals, which is a worry considering AMR kicked a handful of late goals against Donnybrook when they eased up in the final quarter.

HBL take on the Harvey Bulls for the Western Cellars Brunswick Cup on Saturday evening in what will probably be another thriller of a match.

The Lions sit near the top of the ladder with two wins but it hasn’t been easy, with both coming by less than a goal.

Harvey were one of the popular picks to be involved in finals, but they have been disappointing to start the season and need a win this weekend to keep in touch with other finals contenders.

The Bulls were sloppy in both their previous games and have conceded too many scoring shots. The Bulls midfield will need to keep the ball moving forward and stop it from being locked in the back line.

Both teams have been inconsistent in their games, with different results, and this one could go either way.  

Carey Park have been the surprise packet of the early rounds and would have a lot of confidence after coming from behind to defeat the Harvey Bulls away last week.

The Panthers aren’t the most skilled side, but they’ve shown a lot of heart and determination this season and they will need to continue that this week.

Carey Park’s tackling pressure and defensive efforts have been the standout and if they can keep the Bulldogs to a manageable total, they would feel they’re a chance for another upset.

The Bulldogs have had an interesting season. They lost to Eaton in a game they should have won in round one when they went missing in the final quarter and it looked like they might do the same last week against Busselton, before two late goals sealed the win.

Forward Brett Peake has looked dangerous, kicking six last week, so it will be important for the Carey Park defence to close him down.

Both teams would feel they’re a good chance to claim the Nani Cup and it will come down to how the Carey Park midfield plays on the day. They’ll need to have their tackling pressure on point to claim the win.

The Magpies and the Boomers appear to be well-matched in the round’s final game.

Both teams are coming off disappointing performances last week after claiming impressive wins in round one.

Busselton were again inaccurate in front of goals against Bunbury last week and will need to convert better to have a chance.

On the other hand, Eaton showed lots of potential in the first quarter where they dominated the Eagles around the ground, but were disappointing for the remainder of the game.

This game will be won in midfield, with the team who gets first hands on the ball and gets it moving forward most likely to pick up the win.

Eaton have the talent to put on a great performance, but so far have only shown it for two out of eight quarters.

If Busselton can keep forwards Brandon Jetta and Rohan Lilly from taking marks, they’d feel comfortable in restricting the Boomers to a manageable total at their home ground.

Read more from round two of the SWFL 2018 season: