Launceston vs North Launceston
@ Windsor Park
Friday, April 2nd, 1:50 PM

Reserves
Launceston vs North Launceston 11:50am

Colts
Launceston vs North Launceston 9:50pm

Teams

Launceston


B: Gary Shipton, Gene Savage, Geoff Mohr

HB: Beau Green, Clinton Black, Sam O'Keefe

C: Tim Bristow, Will Campbell, Kurt McCabe

HF: Adrian finch, Nathan O'Donoghue, Luke French

F: Jordan Harris, Brian Finch, Declan Mcshane

R: Andrea Miar, Scott Stephens, Corey Sheppard

Interchange: Joe Robinson, Jason Edwards, Tim Curwon, Eric Izbicki, Michael Sinclair, Joe Groenewegen, Daniel Johncock, Joe Boyce

North Launceston

B: Matthew Viney, Hamish Shaw, Andrew Wilmot

HB: Anthony Viney, Michael Praciak, Zane Murphy

C: Callen Young, Shane Wager, Ty Stewart

HF: Darren Crawford, Justin Cotton, Beau Thorpe

F: Hayden Fox, Andrew McLean, Cody Thorpe

R: Matthew Young, Alan O'Sign, Bradley Cox-Goodyear

Interchange: [Adam Viney, Scott Fenton, Mark Walsh, Zane Littlejohn, Callum Newman, Ethan Petterwood, Daniel Richardson. Lyndon Stubbes, Jade Child


HEAD TO HEAD

Round 1: North Launceston 18.9.117 def. Launceston 13.12.90
Round 13 Launceston 12.14.86 def. North Launceston 9.6.60


LAST TIME THEY MET

Round 13 Launceston 12.14.86 def. North Launceston 9.6.60


PREVIOUS ROUND

2nd Elimination Final: Devonport 10.6.66 def Launceston 3.11.29
Round 18 Hobart 13.9.87 def. North Hobart 7.9.51

SEASON FORM

Launceston:
North Launceston:

FORM OVER THE LAST MONTH

Launceston
North Launceston:

FINAL LADDER POSITION 2009

Launceston: 5th
North Launceston: 8th

SUMMARY

A new era for both sides, North Launceston lost their coach, and the Blues have lost their coach and star full forward Adam Derbyshire, the Blues entered last season as premiership favourites and after their win against Glenorchy in the season opener, people were ready to say the Blues were intend going to cruise to the flag, a loss to North Launceston in Round 1 brought the Blues back to earth and then the rocky season ahead saw both go in and out of the Top 6 and finally Launceston made it and the team that was giving the Roos a run for their money back in the old TFL was missing the finals, and the Blues limped over the line.

The change came for the Blues when they lost Adam Derbyshire and they had started to have poor performances each week, and just didn't look like they were going to make the finals, but a couple of needed wins towards the end of the season assisted them. This season see the Baby Bombers take on a Launceston side that have lost their fire power, Derbyshire is gone, their backman Brennan Savage is gone, and now they qare going to try and find where they are going to start from.

Though Launceston had a successful practice match against the Roos, even though the Roos came from 30 points down to just not get over the line, the people around the place are telling us not to write off the Blues, but what about North Launceston, under former Docker Paul Atkins? They have picked up Zane Murphy from Burnie, lost Leigh Harding for the season with an ankle, lost other players but have retained a few senior heads, Andrew McLean will go ahead this season, the only man left you would think that played in their last stayewide leadue premeirship.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Scott Stephens (Launceston) – The captain of the Blues, he was one of their best last season and a consistent performer for the Blues and he will be a man that Blues will ant to fire them up there in the middle.

Shane Wager (North Launceston) – A youngish North Launceston side, with a new coach, they are going to need their captain to stand up and rally the troops, and since I have highlighted the Launceston captain as their player to watch I have gone the captain theme here and believe he will be very important for the Bombers in this clash.

QUESTION MARKS

Launceston have a big hole at Full Forward with the loss of Adam Derbyshire, this weekend the new Launceston coach Anthony Taylor has named Brian Finch as their forward, can Finch full that void that the experienced Derbyshrie has left? Are the Blues just a one man team, like some seem to believe, or are the Blues in safe hands after getting Adrian Finch back, Beau Green back and getting Kurt McCabe into the side?

The Bombers are coming off a belting in their final practice match to Glenorchy, they have been belted in the past by some of the top teams, but they have managed to beat the Blues in the past, can Paul Atkins, the new coach get them up for this game? What kind of void is the loss of Leigh Harding for the season, and now Sam Whish-Wilson who has departed for the Magpies on the coast?

WHO WILL WIN AND WHY

Launceston were the team teams were supposedly meant to beat last season, some did, some didn't but when the finals came the Magpies from the Coast Devonport snuffed out their tilt at the flag, this season, a void has been left, the Blues have had a good start to their practice matches with their game against Clarence while no one seems to take them seriously, the Blues are going to be a side that are going to make the Bombers supporters very unhappy this week as they are going to come away with a close win. While Launceston and North are both under new coaches, and the Blues have lost Savage and Derbyshire there aer still a few classy players there that are going to get them home in this game.


PREDICTION
Launceston 10 points