Wimmera Hockey Association returns to action for round six at Dimboola

With the competition already a third of the way through a regular season that will see each opponent played three times, all teams now know where they stand amongst their peers and what they must do over the next ten matches to stake a claim to play finals.

The first Open match on Saturday will see the Kaniva Cobras and Horsham Hurricanes battle to secure their places in the top four.

These two teams currently occupy third and fourth places on the ladder, and with the fifth-placed Nhill Rangers starting to look threatening, both could use the points from a win to relieve some pressure to hold their place in the top four.

The first time they met this season, on the grass at Warracknabeal, the Cobras scored a five goals to two victory, but the Horsham team will provide more resistance this time, as they play the artificial turf at Dimboola well.

Although they have shown some erratic form ranging from a draw with the competition-leading Tigers, only the second match the Tigers had not won in their last forty-five starts, to losses to the Cobras and Hoops. Their only victory has come against the winless Rangers.

The Cobras' record is only two points better, with victories over the Hurricanes and Rangers.

The winner from this game will solidify their place among the leaders, while the defeated will finish the round in fourth place, remaining vulnerable to being overtaken by the Rangers.

Hoops v Tigers

This match will conclude the round under the lights on Saturday evening, but it will be a game worth braving the cool temperatures to watch.

These two always put on an entertaining display of hockey, and when they met in round two, the Tigers snuck home with a one-goal victory.

However, if any team is currently able to seriously challenge the Tigers' dominance, it could be the Hoops.

The Tigers sit on top of the ladder, having won three and drawn one of their four matches, while the Hoops are just behind, having won three and only lost the one encounter to the competition leaders.

A Yanac victory will see them start to pull away from the rest of the field with a six-point buffer on the ladder, while a Warrack win will see them rise to the top.

Rangers

The Nhill Rangers have another week off with the bye.

After narrowly losing to the Cobras in their last outing, they remain winless, but they have shown enough promising form recently to begin worrying opponents, and although they sit just outside the top four, they are close enough to still be in the mix to make the finals if they can regularly get their best team on the pitch.

The opening Women's match of the round will be on Friday evening, featuring the Dimboola Roos and Nhill Thunderbirds.

The Roos have made a positive return to the competition, with two wins and a draw from their first five matches, while the Birds have been competitive, with a win and a draw.

The drawn result for both came the last time they met, at Nhill in round two, when solid defending resulted in a scoreless tie.

A comfortable win by the Thunderbirds could see them displace the Roos in the top four, while a victory for the Roos will create a buffer of eight points between these two teams in fourth and fifth on the ladder, making it more difficult for the lower teams to remain in contention for the finals.

Warrack v Yanac

On paper, this match looks like a foregone conclusion, with Warrack yet to win a game and Yanac sitting in outright first place, having lost just one of their five matches in 2024.

However, Warrack's recent form suggests it could be closer than expected.

Yanac deserves to start the match as favourites, and if they play to their recent form, they should come away with the win.

But, Warrack's mix of young and inexperienced players has shown considerable improvement over the first third of the season.

Although it might be a bit optimistic to think they are in a position to topple the reigning premiers yet, they should still give a good account of themselves.

A Yanac win will keep them on top of the ladder, although a loss could drop them to second place.

Warrack cannot rise from sixth place regardless of the result, but a win would keep their dreams of returning to the finals alive.

Jets v Kaniva

This will be one of the matches of the round, and a win by either team will keep them within reach of the top of the ladder.

Having played out a scoreless draw the first time they met this season, they have proven that when they can both field their best players, they are evenly matched.

But, when missing a key player or two, this dynamic can change dramatically.

Both are just two points behind Yanac, so if the competition leaders were to lose, the winner of this game could finish the round on top, but regardless of other results, the winner here will have an outright claim to at least second place on the ladder.

The young Dimboola Kangaroos' players, many of whom are still eligible to play Under 12s or recently graduated from that program, have yet to seriously challenge any opponent this season, which was not unexpected considering their inexperience.

Meanwhile, the Nhill Leopards have a relatively experienced team and are challenging the competition leaders.

On their home turf and playing the Friday twilight time slot, the Kangaroos have their best opportunity to field their strongest team, but Nhill should still have their measure.

A Nhill win will keep them in touch with the two leading teams, while if the Kangaroos can open their account, they could move up a place to fifth.

Bombers v Raiders

The Kaniva Raiders currently hold the top spot by percentage ahead of the Yanac Warriors, so they must keep winning if they are to stay there. This could be a challenge as they face the Horsham Bombers this week, who are coming off a big win in the last round.

After a slow start, the Bombers are finding form and are poised to push those above them on the ladder, and this week will be a good opportunity for them to test if they are a serious threat to the leaders.

At their first meeting, the Raiders won by eight goals, but they cannot expect such a margin this time, considering the Bombers' recent improvement.

A Horsham win would increase the margin between fourth and fifth, making it difficult for either of the lower teams to break into the top four.

But, if Kaniva continues their undefeated record they will remain in the top two, with their exact position determined by the margin if the Warriors defeat the Revengers.

Revengers v Warriors

In this second versus fifth encounter, the Yanac Warriors should continue their good form and remain undefeated, having won four and drawn one from their first five games, while the Warrack Revengers have only managed one win.

Currently equal on points and goal difference with the Raiders, a big win could see the Warriors move to the top of the ladder.

But, it would take a very big win for the Revengers to improve their goal difference enough to sneak into fifth place.