News

WITH four rounds to play in the VFL home-and-away season, round 17 could prove pivotal to the make-up of the top eight come finals time.

The Coburg Tigers travel down the Princes Freeway today to play the rampant Geelong Cats at Skilled Stadium in the morning AFL curtain-raiser.

The Cats boast the most potent forward line in the competition, kicking an average of 116 points a game. They also have the most miserly defence with an average of only 79 points kicked against them each week.

The Tigers, who have not lost a game since round 11, will rely on their athleticism to out-run the Cats. They will be missing suspended midfielder Jarrad Oakley-Nicholls, who has enjoyed a wonderful month of football, but will regain Andrew Krakouer, who was omitted from the Richmond side.

Tigers coach Andy Collins is a supporter of the AFL curtain-raiser concept, believing it provides the crowds with added value.

"It's great for the fans to be able to see their club's players run around in the VFL. I would travel down to Skilled Stadium every week if it meant we could play a curtain-raiser."

The winner of this game will claim second spot on the ladder.

Also today, the erratic North Ballarat Roosters will continue their fight for an all-important top-four finish when they face the Box Hill Hawks at Austar Arena.

Port Melbourne (eighth), fresh from last week's bye, hosts the Casey Scorpions (seventh) at TEAC Oval.

Tomorrow, Carlton skipper Lance Whitnall will return to football, having shed six kilograms and had a series of injections to medicate his chronic knee injury. Whitnall will try to find form with the Bullants in order to finish his season with the Blues.

"Whitnall will not play the whole game," said Bullants coach Barry Mitchell.

"It's getting pretty tight. It's a very even competition and at this stage we can finish fourth or we can finish 12th."

The Bullants, belted last week by Werribee and with their season on a knife edge, face a difficult job against formidable opponents, the Sandringham Zebras, who are chasing their sixth win on the trot.

With a month of home-and-away football to play, coach Mark Williams has the premiership favourites purring at the right end of the season.

VFL schedule

Geelong v Coburg Tigers, 10.40am, Skilled Stadium

North Ballarat v Box Hill Hawks, 1.10pm, Austar Arena

Port Melbourne v Casey Scorpions, 2pm, TEAC Oval

Tomorrow

Frankston v Werribee, 2pm, Frankston Oval

Sandringham v Northern Bullants, Trevor Barker Beach Oval