Canberra has a disappointing 0-3 road record this year, but will be looking to change it this weekend. Problem for Canberra is they have a poor record also at “The Icehouse” and needed triple overtime to defeat Pioneers in 2005, the last time they recorded a victory. Gunners Paul Denman has been a consistent player all season and will have a great tussle with Pioneers Ryan Blankson.

Albury/Wodonga vs Southern Districts
One of the toughest games to select a winner as Southern Districts are on a 7 game winning streak but have a 2-3 road record and have never played at Albury Sports Stadium. Spartans big man Greg Vanderjagt (16.0ppg, 11.4rpg) injured his knee last week and is doubtful for this weekends match which will put pressure on the other Southern District players.

Hobart vs Knox
Raiders hold a 17-10 edge over Hobart and currently hold a two game winning streak. This is however the first clash this season, and both teams have different line-ups to previous years. Sources say that Bryant and Simpson will play this weekend for Knox, which will be a major bonus for the Raiders. Their inside presence and overall contributions are a vital ingredient to the Raiders success.

Geelong vs AIS
It’s highly likely the Supercats winning streak will continue this week, with the AIS sending a very inexperienced team on the road this weekend. The Supercats team will have over 1,169 games experience on the floor, and the AIS have a team with only 165 SEABL games total. Mills, Dowdell, Ogilvy and coach Marty Clarke are not travelling due to injuries and personal reasons. A lot will be expected of second year scholarship holders Johnson and Seebohm to produce in the absence of the team’s better players.
Jarrod Leonard (Geelong) – 15 assists to 1000

Kilsyth vs Canberra
Kilsyth have been very disappointing and should be thankful that Knox did not have a full squad last week. Cobras coach Grant Wallace has one of the best teams on paper, but has found it tough to get the talent to mesh during game time. Kilsyth lost 80-89 in round one to Canberra, and have been winless against the Gunners since July 2005.

Frankston vs Nunawading
Frankston dropped to third position on the East Men Ladder after a disappointing 0-2 nation’s capital road trip. Blues import David Gruber (26.5ppg, 13.2rpg, 2.8bpg) was once again the consistent performer, but he will be tested against league veteran David Biwer (16.6ppg, 14.3rpg, 3.1apg). Both players are vital to the respective teams and are sure to entertain the frankston crowd with an array of basketball skills at both ends of the court.
Andrew Harms (Frankston) – 50th SEABL Game

NW Tasmania vs Knox
Knox has defeated NW Tasmania in the past five games between the two clubs, and will be keen to continue the streak this week. Thunder has not defeated Knox since the 2004 SEABL South Men Grand Final. Glen Siegle has proven he is a quality defender and restricted league leading scorer Troy de Vries (28.9ppg, 2.8apg) to only 20pts in the Raiders 91-87 victory in round seven. A repeat performance by Siegle should give the Raiders a good chance of securing the sweep against the Thunder this year.

Bendigo vs Southern Districts
Bendigo is the only team to defeat the Spartans at home, and this victory will give the South Men ladder leaders confidence of recording another victory this weekend. Bendigo has an array of offensive options and this could trouble the Spartans this weekend. Novak (18.3ppg, 8.1rpg) and Rigby (17.6ppg, 7.5rpg) seem to be combining well in the Braves frontcourt, and with Vanderjagt and Latimer playing status unknown, the Spartans may struggle to contain the Braves inside presence.

Ballarat vs AIS
Ballarat have a 9-3 record at home against AIS, and should make it win number 10 this week. With an average age of 17 travelling this week,, AIS may find it tough against the highly experienced Ballarat outfit. Past AIS scholarship holder and current Miners coach Matt Shanahan (16.4ppg, 4.3rpg, 5.1apg) had a sensational on court performance last week, but will be hoping to play less minutes this week and see his teammates produce the stats required to get the Miners the victory.