Preliminary Final
Saturday July 28, 8pm at Dandenong

It's do or die when Dandenong goes head to head with Hume City for the final time in 07, in a match that is sure to have all the makings of a thriller. The head to head tally between the Rangers and Broncos stands at one all for the season, and with both teams celebrating narrow wins in Week One of the Championship Men's finals series, both will be coming into the match confident and ready for a show down.

Dandenong coach Warren Dawson and Hume City coach Kevin Fleming have both been critical of their Week One matches, and both believe they have a lot to improve on as they enter what will be the final game for one of them for 2007.

"I thought we did okay for probably three quarters...the positive aspect was maybe previously in the season we would have coughed it up and lost the game," Dawson said of Dandenong's match against Sandringham last week, that saw the Rangers take a 9 point win over the Sabres, who they met in the Championships in 2006.

Hume City coach Kevin Fleming said that he thought the Broncos got caught up in the Seahawks tempo last week, and that is something they will look at improving when the face off against the Rangers.

"Look I thought for most of the game we played pretty well," Fleming said, although he said that they will be preparing for what will no doubt be a very physical game against the Rangers this week.

Both coaches have identified who will be their toughest opponents coming into this match, with Dawson believing that the Rangers will have an big job up against the Bronco's Mike Spears, Pierre Jallow and Greg Smith, who were all big contributors in last week's one point win over the Seahawks.

"We will certainly need to do a better job of defending Spears and Jallow....I don't think you can single one guy out though," Dawson said.

Fleming said that their biggest concern will be matching Dandenong physically, with Brent Hobba, Ash Cannon and Mehmed Bektas off the bench proving some tough competition for the Broncos.

"We aim to match Dandenong physically and to do a big job in the rebounding side," Fleming said.

Dandenong are yet to lose at home, but Dawson says that this is irrelevant at this time in the season.

"Win loss records mean nothing...Hume are probably the form team at this stage of the competition," Dawson said, adding that they will need to keep the score of the Broncos under 100 if the Rangers are to take the win.

It was 14 points that decided the match's outcome in Round 13 in favor of Hume City, with big performance from Mike Spears with 27 points and Pierre Jallow with 25 points and 17 rebounds. The Rangers Brent Hobba had 25 points for the game, but they struggled to keep the game competitive which is something that they will no doubt be changing for this week. Round 3 saw the Rangers with a 12 point win Ash Cannon dominating the scoreboard with 28 points, the two scores reflecting just how stiff this competition will be.

Big V Historical Information
All Time Head to Head: Rangers 4 ahead of Broncos 3
Coaches Records: Warren Dawson (Rangers) 56/18 (76%) / Kevin Fleming (Broncos) 63/33 (66%)

Sandringham vs. Waverley
Preliminary Final
Saturday July 28, 7:30pm at Sandringham

Earlier this season no one would have thought that this match would be coming. But it is here and with so much to play for, the pressure is on when Sandringham host Waverley for the final time in 2007. The Falcons have not managed a win over the Sabres in the past two years, but come into the match on a high that saw them knock the Melbourne Tigers out of the finals, and this will no doubt prove the fire they need to keep this game hotly contested.

Waverley coach David Santamaria was happy with the Falcons performance last week, saying that defensively the Falcons can match up to sandringham, making for what will no doubt be a tight contest.

"It was good. A gutsy performance, we didn't give in our defense," Sanatamaria said of last week's overtime thriller that saw the Falcons steal away with a 7 point win over the Tigers.

Sabres Coach Vince Crivelli was not as thrilled with his own teams' performance that saw them go down to the Rangers by 9 points.

"We played well in patches but we weren't good for 48 minutes," Crivelli said, and that is what he believes Sandringham needs to improve upon for this week.

Santamaria believes that Simon Conn will prove a tough opponent for Waverley, as he is a big man with a big presence. He said that Adam Quick is also a strong performer for the Sabres, and that the inside game that the Sabres play is very good.

"They are going to be hungry for the win. They are a very high talented team," Santamaria said.

Crivelli believes that Ivan Platenik will prove a tough competitor for Waverley, as the Sabres have not had a game against him this season. He also said that Andrew Walter and Matt Burston will be tough, and that Waverley makes for a dangerous group.

Both coaches predict that the matchup between Simon Conn and Matt Burston will be a great one, and no doubt they two will have some tough contests that will be great to watch.

The Sabres have taken both wins when the two teams have gone head to head previously in 2007, taking a 13 point win in Round 13, despite a big points score form the Falcons Bradley Kelleher, and a 28 point win in Round 3, after a massive game from Simon Conn with 39 points and 18 rebounds, making the difference in the end result.

With both teams so well matched, this game may be the one that goes to overtime once again, and sure to be a show stopper that sees the best of the best in the Big V go head to head in an elimination that will be no doubt be talked about in weeks to come.

Big V Historical Information
All Time Head to Head: Sabres 14 ahead of Falcons 3
Coaches Records: Vince Crivelli (Sabres) 150/44 (77%) / David Santamaria (Waverley) 7/3 (70%)