From Ballarat Courier
Reported by David Brehaut
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NORTH Ballarat defender Dan Feery undergoes surgery today to repair a broken nose.

The operation means the in-form Feery will miss tomorrow's clash with Sandringham at Eureka Stadium Ballarat.

Feery broke his nose against Coburg Tigers on Sunday - a blow that kept him out of action for the second half.

Selkirk Roosters football manager Marg Richards said it was important for Feery to have surgery within 10 days of sustaining the injury.

She said any longer and the task of repairing the nose would be more complex.

Richards said the timing of the operation also ensured Feery would be fit for the finals in two weeks.

Feery's setback makes way for the return of first-year player Nick Couch, who was left out against Coburg.

From goldcoastfc.com.au
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SUNS last chance to shine at home

The Gold Coast SUNS and North Melbourne-aligned Werribee Tigers shared the points earlier this year when their Round 3 encounter ended in a thrilling draw.

Both teams have showed some promising late season form, so this weekend’s return clash again promises to be close.

The match will be the SUNS’ final home game of the year and a big crowd is expected. This week’s squad includes several changes. Charlie Dixon returns from a leg injury and Nathan Ablett will be keen to impress after he withdrew from last week’s team through illness. Schoolboys Taylor Hine and Piers Flanagan rejoin the side and Townsville-raised key position prospect Lewis Moss will slot in across half-back.

SIMON Atkins is stepping down as senior coach of Werribee.

The Tigers' board has decided to make the coaching position full-time and Atkins says he can only serve in a part-time capacity.

The former Footscray and Fitzroy centreman has led Werribee  for six seasons and will finish up after next weekend's Round 18 clash with the Casey Scorpions.

"I've got other things outside footy. I’m not getting in to full-time footy," he told Leader this afternoon.

"It's the board's decision. They know how my week is structured, around 30 to 35 hours a week, but they obviously want more time put into it. That’s fair  enough."

In his first year in charge Atkins took the Tigers to the 2005 grand final. Three years later they reached the preliminary final.

Read more at localfooty.com.au

From Ballarat Courier
Reported by David Brehaut
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NORTH BALLARAT had the win it needed to have in the Victorian Football League at Eureka Stadium Ballarat yesterday.
The Roosters kept a persistent Coburg Tigers at arm's length by 22 points to retain their hold on second position.

Getting home 15.13 (103) to 12.9 (81) was nothing to get carried away with.

From Bendigo Adveriser
Reported by Luke West
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THE Bendigo Bank Bombers are headed for their first finals series since 2007 following an eight-point win over a star-studded Collingwood on Saturday.

From Gold Coast Bulletin
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AN awful third quarter cost the Gold Coast Suns a VFL win against the Casey Scorpions down in Cranbourne yesterday, going down by four points, 18.11 (119) to 17.13 (115).

After leading at halftime by a whopping 44 points, 13.10 (88) to 7.2 (44), the Suns came out flat and allowed Melbourne Demons AFL regular Brad Miller to run rampant.

From localfooty.com.au
Reported by Cody Winnell
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COBURG Tigers general manager Lee Fraser expects Eureka Reserve to be in great nick on Sunday for his club's away clash with North Ballarat.
The Ballarat Football League announced on Thursday its Lake Wendouree versus Melton South game would be played at Eureka Oval on Saturday, the day before the scheduled VFL clash between Coburg and the Roosters at the same venue.

"Heavy and sustained periods of rainfall in Ballarat over the past few weeks coupled with the heavy load of senior and junior football on all of our venues has taken its toll on our grounds," BFL operations manager Aaron Nunn stated in a press release.

From the Ballarat Courier
Reported by David Brehaut
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WHAT you see is what you get.
North Ballarat has basically assembled the combination with which it will attempt to capture a third consecutive VFL premiership.

North Melbourne's Leigh Harding is the only likely major inclusion in the weeks ahead.

Apart from that, the only changes open to head coach Gerard FitzGerald will be able to do is some cosmetic moves with younger players from the Selkirk Roosters' VFL list.

With this in mind, North Ballarat must immediately get back to its best against the Richmond-aligned Coburg Tigers at Eureka Stadium Ballarat tomorrow.

There can be no hangover from the shock loss to Werribee of a week ago.

From the Bendigo Advertiser
Reported by Luke West
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THE VFL markets itself as the competition where the ‘‘AFL meets grassroots’’.
And it’s a slogan that epitomises today’s round 16 clash between the Bendigo Bank Bombers and Collingwood.

From the Ballarat Courier
Reported by David Brehaut
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ORREN Stephenson will make a timely return for North Ballarat against Coburg Tigers in the Victorian Football League at Eureka Stadium on Sunday.
The VFL's number one ruckman and Big V representative has missed six matches with a broken hand.

Although North Ballarat has had the services of experienced North Melbourne big man David Hale in that time, it has still been undermanned.

Hale has had to share his time between a key forward role and the ruck, leaving teenager Sam Conroy to carry a large part of the workload.

Stephenson goes back into the team with the Selkirk Roosters under pressure to rebound after a shock 13-point loss to Werribee.