Well, some excellent games on the weekend which didn’t disappoint. It looks like and I don’t want to put the mozz on any team, but it looks like we have a Top 6 and now a bottom 4. Dolphins clear on top from second by 11 points. But more importantly the Magpies with 2 more wins and better rink wins separating themselves from the View. 6 – 7 is now 12 points difference and with 7 games left that’s 3 extra wins the View will have to come up with to try and catch the Magpies or Doggies at the minute. That is a tall ask. Both the Wolves and Lions gained ground on the View and the View now only separated by 3 points to the Wolves. The Mavericks sit squarely on the bottom and have a lot of work to do to get out of automatic relegation zone. It’s really going to pend, on who beats who in the race for relegation. It’s going to be an exciting race to the finish line this season.
On the flip side the top 6 -- 3 -6 are only separated by 4 points with the Saints starting to nudge away in second and the Dolphins are 13.5 points clear of the Blues in 3rd.
Some critical games this week, with 3 v 2 and 4 v 5 this could be a defining moment in the season when 2 teams stand up that want to play finals. It will also mark that we are two thirds through the season. Hold onto your hats punters the race is flying down the back straight with the teams all jostling for position for the final turn before they hit the straight and race to the line in March.
Doubleview 67 (1) v Joondalup 98 (7)
Christopher McKenna 16 v Shane Ernest Rixom 27
Ben Willesee 19 v Ben Leggett 16
Gary Nelson 18 v Jimmy Buchanan 28
Brandon Heta 14 v Wayne Neilson 27
Comfortable win by the Dolphins the only surprise here was Willesee, beating the top skip in Leggett by 3 shots in a fine performance by the View rink. They were the only shining light for the View. Clearly the Dolphins enjoyed playing on the grass as the other 3 rinks weren’t troubled at all. Neilson, Rixom and Buchanan all with easy wins by 13, 11 and 10 shots respectively and 31 shots to the better of the View. The Dolphins showing a workman like performance and keep the difference to second spot. The View have pretty much resigned themselves to relegation playoffs and must keep chipping away to make sure they don’t drop into 9th or 10th.
Warwick 84 (6) v Swan 79 (2)
Wayne Wyatt 23 v Tony Natalotto 19
Jon Borkowski 20 v Rodney Revell 22
Geoffrey Hinge 16 v David Park 24
Lindsay Hill 25 v Paul Kelly 14
Hill and new skip Wyatt the difference for the Magpies. In an extremely exciting game at the Birds nest in Warwick the 2 new (newer!) skips take care of Business against Swan. Wyatt keeping Swan’s best skip Natalotto contained all day and gets home by 4 shots and Hill getting a comfortable win against Kelly by 11 shots. Swan nearly got the chocolates with Park beating the game changer by 8 and Rockin Rod the Rocket taking care of Borkowski by 2 shots which were the Magpies top skips. But nobody told Hill and Wyatt the script. Hill now moves to 5/2 and Wyatt showing he is capable of playing at this level and the Magpies keep their season alive with a 5 shot win over Swan.
Bassendean 85 (5.5) v Stirling 83 (2.5)
Murray Wright 28 v Michael Vitale 17
Graeme Cash 21 v Josip Martinovich 24
Alan Britton 16 v Mane (mick) Marovic 22
Gavin Ekholm 20 v Aaron Kriletich 20
In a rip snorter at the Lions den the Wolves got the Lion share of rinks but lose the game by 2 shots. Wright taking care of Vitale by 11 shots and that was the difference in the day between the 2 sides. Marovic and Martinovich again collecting rinks wins for the wolves beating Britton and Cash by 6 and 3 shots respectively. Ekholm and new skip Kriletich battling out a hard-fought tie, but the Wolves just couldn’t quite get past the 11-shot difference. It would have been excellent to watch the last few ends and I am sure the Lions had a huge amount of local support. Well done to both sides in a ripper of a game. Both sides have now moved themselves off bottom and have given themselves an opportunity to get past Doubleview. Could both sides slip into 7 and 8th only time will tell. Both sides with tough assignments this week.
Osborne Park 85 (7) v Yokine 72 (1)
Robbie Clark 15 v Wayne Coffey 23
Fernando Di Giuseppe 23 v Trevor McGillivray 18
George Smith 24 v Martin Sharp 16
Charles (lee) Farrell 23 v Shane Shaw 15
The Saints cruze to a 7-1 win and 13 shot win over the Doggies. The Saints definitely weaker this week with no Pasalich and no Fleay. Doggies had a real opportunity to take advantage of the outs and it was only Beans doing the barking for the Doggies with an 8 shot win over replacement skip in Clark. Smith and Farrell taking care of Golden Boy and Sandman by 8 shots each. From all reports they were tight tussles, but the Doggies faded in the last few ends. Is Farrell Sandman’s kryptonite? 4 Shaw -- Farrell has taken the Sandman 2-0 and +27 shots in the 2 games this season. Magic with a hard fought lose to Di Guiseppe, Magic and his team were considerably down at one point and continued to fight to only lose by 5 in the end and the Saints now sit in 2nd and have a do or die game against the Blues this week away. If the Saints win, they should secure playing finals. Doggies also in a do or die game against Swan and if they lose the Doggies can pretty much kiss playing finals goodbye.
North Beach 101 (8) v Morley 71 (0)
Peter Augustson 20 v Wayne Mitchell 19
Lee Mitten 30 v Lindsay Sanders 22
John Bartorillo 28 v Robert Urquhart 16
Alan Howe 23 v Victor Orchard 14
No surprise here this week, the Blues breaking the ton and getting a solid 8 points which was definitely needed to add to this year’s campaign. The Mitchell rink the only Mavericks that bothered the Beach boys and narrowly lost by 1 to Augustson. The other 3 rinks were easy wins and weren’t bothered by the Mavs. Bartorillo, Howe and Mitten beating Urquhart, Orchard and Sanders by 12,11 and 8 shots respectively. Blues hanging in 3rd but have quite a bit of work to do if they want to secure a finals spot. They do have 4 of the 7 games left at home but only 2 of them are against the stronger sides and this week is a vital win required against the Saints at home. Morley now drop to bottom of the Ladder and if they don’t start picking up points, they will find themselves in relegation to Division 2.
