WY YUNG
Current position: First
Points: 36
Strengths: The leading team defensively and offensively in the competition. Probably not as good as last year, but not far off now with the recent inclusion of Mitchell Dewar, Jobe Somerville, Mitch Toms and Nick Ward, who have certainly added to their firepower and weaponry.
Nathan Dennison has been a huge inclusion, filling the void left by the departure of Marcus Hottes. The more intense and hotly competitive the football comes, the better Dennison will perform.
Weaknesses: The Tigers don’t have the ruck strength of the other major players. They got away early in the season pinch-hitting with Tommy Stephenson, prior to his season-ending shoulder injury. Andrew Thomson is solid but struggles against the bigger ruckmen.
Thankfully for the Tigers if they don’t get the vital clearances, their exceptional back six, which is led by Norm Betts, are usually the catalyst for many of their forays forward. The defence may be tested by an efficient tall forward set up, but it’s yet to happen thus far. If opposition can force Nate Somerville to play tall it helps eliminate his rebound capacity.
Key player: Jack Betts – quick on the lead and an accurate kick, a hard match up for most sides when isolated.
Run home: Stratford (H), Paynesville (A), Lucknow (A), Boisdale Briagolong (H), Lindenow (A) and Lakes Entrance (H).
Prediction: It’s a tough run home with games against the three sides directly below them. Wy Yung has only been defeated twice, by Stratford and Boisdale Briagolong, but with recent additions are the side everyone has to beat – a big chance to go back-to-back. The Tigers will need to push for a top two spot to maximise that opportunity given the closeness of the ladder.
IMAGE: Wy Yung’s Jack Betts
