CLINT Girardi and Jarrod Sykes have flown off to Europe.
Luke Button is on one leg and must be in some doubt and one gets the feeling that the Mypolonga Tigers are a silly chance.
Anthony “Good Guy” has sent the message out to Tigerland, saying “tell them they are dreaming”.
The Roosters are just playing too good a football at the minute.
Even without Girardi, the Roosters still have the big power forwards in Adam Jackson and Ryan Morris.
Ben Dougall cleaned up in his comeback game last week and when asked who their favourite team outside the red and white was, both Liam and Patrick O’Neil piped up and said “the Mypolonga Tigers”.
The O’Neils’ reasons are obvious - one being the lack of close checking, the other the fact that half the team leave the venue at 4pm to go back to cook the lamb roast.
Ryan Viney fired up the Roosters’ midfield last week, Tyson Mathews in defence is travelling very nicely at the minute while Greg Stevens adds some pace to the midfield.
His kicking is a bit off at times but he finds plenty of the footy.
Joel Matchoss, Mark Marchetti and Jarrad Weyland are all contributing and even the Roosters’ bench players in Glaetzer, Cowland and Mason were all able to come on and have some impact.
The Tigers are no certainty to play finals football but on paper they are a handy side.
They have a spearhead in Brad Martin who has kicked 49 goals, averaging more than five a game.
You would expect the experience of James Pedler to stitch up Ty Pfeiffer and Alex Mason, but when the ball hits the deck they get hurt.
Whoever lines up in the midfield for Mypolonga, don’t worry about the footy. Your main mission is to get Ryan Viney’s autograph.
The Tigers’ defence will battle manfully but you have to win the midfield to win the game at Ramblers.
There are a lot of unanswered question about the Tigers efforts in 2008.
Where will Joe Pedler line up? Will he wear yellow boots? Will Ash Martin, one of the better stoppers in the competition, get the job of containing the big man Adam Jackson?
The Tigers haven’t lived up to the pre-season hype surrounding them, but as they say it’s all done with smoke and mirrors out there.
I think the Tigers are due for a good day but they are still ten goals behind the Roosters.
The Tigers’ best chance appears to be at the Ramblers Karaoke night on Saturday after the game singing the classic by Max Merritt “Slipping away from me”. Ramblers by 51 to 60 points.
Tailem Bend v Jervois
In round one Jervois got the money by about 10 goals.
Since that opening round Tailem Bend has jagged three wins and was a tad unlucky last week.
They are improving but they strike Jervois in a foul mood after a lack-lustre display against the Roosters last week.
Jervois have got a bit work to do if they want that record fifth premiership in a row, but it’s only June and you don’t win premierships in June.
You can’t underestimate Jervois, they play the game with passion and when they pull on the red and black jumper it means something to the playing group.
When they have their backs to the wall is when they are most dangerous.
Trevor Rigney is a star, he is as good as anyone going around in this humble league but he is crying out for some assistance.
SOS Ben Woodhouse is the cry at Jervois at the minute.
There was more talent watching last week than was on the ground.
Woodhouse, the big man Scott Baxter and Big Ron Hill were all present. Admittedly Big Ron sought some solace giving his girlfriend a squeeze but if Jervois don’t get Woodhouse on the park soon it may be too late.
For Tailem Bend, Darren Buckingham has picked up a couple of useful bags of goals.
Brad Bell is finding his feet and Dylan Hogarth gives the Eagles some bite around the packs.
Todd Downs always finds something against the old rivals but you always have to respect a team that has Jason Bayliss in ruck.
James Jagodnik will eventually crack a big game and Ewer and Schmidt are too good a players to be out of form for much longer.
They may be out of form but they are only one game away from being in form. Jervois have young players in Steven Braun and Kieran Hill starting to get some senior football under their belt and they still have the experience of Sam Mahony, Mick Moller and Jeremy Rigney to call on.
Jervois 51 to 60 points.
Meningie v Mannum
This is a danger game for Mannum on Saturday.
If they rock up at Meningie and just expect to win they will pay a hefty price. This is a game Mannum would have inked in as a certain win.
It’s a season-defining game for the Roos.
A loss and they are nearly history, a win and they should play finals.
The last three games at Mannum have all been decided by less than one goal.
The members at Mannum should pay twice the admittance as they have twice as much fun.
Shane Harte is travelling very nicely at the minute, he is one of the form players in the competition and at the half-way point is one of the favourites for the 2008 Mail Medal.
You can’t take anything away from Ben Quinn, twice he has rescued Mannum in the dying seconds of the game.
He has become a very influential player and is really the heartbeat of this team.
Brad Wakefield is having a pretty good year and I reckon he is just starting to believe in himself.
Mannum are getting injured players back and if Andrew Warnest and Matt Connolly play they will start overwhelming favourites.
Meningie will win a game this season and there is every chance of a boil-over if Mannum go down there thinking they are the greatest.
The one thing Mannum can do that Meningie can’t is kick more than 10 goals.
Josh Gould, Ben Quinn and Matt Connolly, if fit, give Mannum a much stronger forward line than the Meningie Bears’.
Evan Smith, Stuart Williss, Ryan Mallard, if he plays, are capable of kicking a score but at the minute Meningie is a developing team that is inconsistent.
They win a quarter, they win a half but they haven’t put together four quarters this season and until they do they will struggle to win a game.
Mannum 11 to 20 points.
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