The sample size is small, but the feast should be sumptuous come Saturday.
There’s plenty to like about the round three fixture for Goulburn Valley League this weekend, but Shepparton (2-0) and Rochester (1-1) threaten to go a cut above in terms of pure contest work.
The two sides experienced satisfying round one wins and, arguably, should both have felt the same way last weekend but for the Tigers’ stunning collapse at home to Kyabram.
The undoubted story of Saturday’s Deakin Reserve match-up — on paper — is a battle of two midfields that have kicked their campaigns off in dominant fashion.
A clash of engine rooms - Shepparton v Rochester (average a game)
Clearances: 47 (first) v 40 (third)
Inside 50s: 50.5 (joint second) v 51.5 (first)
Marks inside 50: 15 (fourth) v 16.5 (second)
Tackles: 76.5 (first) v 66 (fourth)
Hit-outs to advantage: 16 (first) v 5 (joint ninth)
Returning 2018 premiership player Ash Holland has delivered as hoped out of the middle in 2024, sitting comfortably atop the pile in hit-outs a game at this early stage, as well as finding more taps to advantage than any other ruck.
Luke Smith has been no slouch in putting Holland’s ruck work to good use, sitting second in the league for clearances around the ground behind Mansfield’s Brett Mahoney, whose side has played an extra game.
Smith sits one behind a trio of players in centre clearances as well — but one of the three is Rochester’s Mitch Trewhella.
The two bulls sit first and second for total clearances and top five for contested possessions, with Smith joined in the latter category by Bears co-coach Xavier Stevenson.
Where the two sides’ philosophies start to splinter off centres around how the ball is earned and this likely speaks to the Bears and Tigers’ contrasting fortunes in the ruck.
Smith and Stevenson represent Shepparton as equal-highest loose ball getters in the league, which certainly goes a long way to validating Holland’s efforts.
Conversely, the Rochester duo of Trewhella and Bailey Wileman have established themselves as pure in-and-under workhorses early.
Wileman leads the competition in hard ball gets, with Trewhella tied for second one away from his fellow Tiger.
One clear conclusion is that if Holland gets firmly on top of the stoppages, as he has been one to do so far this season, the Tigers will be on the back foot from the outset.
With four Bears currently among the league’s inside 50 leaders, there’s no shortage of attacking threat, but Trewhella’s current foothold on throw-in clearances could set Rochester up for some fast breaks down the wings.
This weekend’s One FM broadcast game is Benalla v Shepparton United, on air from 1.30pm, while the Kyabram District League game between Stanhope v Girgarre will also be live on One FM from 2pm.