DDCC Round 5 Preview

Darwin v PINT – Kahlin Oval
 
A top-four spot is on the line when Darwin hosts PINT for what should be a cracking game as both sides enter at their most crucial period of the season.
 
Apart from strong wins over Tracy Village (and a good win over Southern Districts to start the season for the Greens), both sides have had some struggles this two-day campaign.
 
The Greens had back-to-back heavy defeats to Waratah and Nightcliff across the second and third rounds. And the Eagles had big losses to Nightcliff to begin the campaign and Palmerston last week.
 
So it will be game on when the sides meet in what should be a close and fierce contest as the stakes begin to rise.
 
It will be the third last game of the regular season, and with the Greens on a bye next round, it will almost be a must-win game for them to keep their finals chances alive. Otherwise, they risk relying on other results and needing a win over ladder leader Palmerston in the final round.
 
Meanwhile, this will be a game the Eagles will be targeting for a win, before facing second-placed Waratah and reigning premier Southern Districts in the last round.
 
Bowling will be under the microscope for the Eagles after allowing the Power to post a season-high total of 9-463 in their last game.
 
Meanwhile, the Greens come in off the back of a complete performance against Tracy where they bowled the bottom-placed side out for 137 and scored 3d-271 in return.
 
Prediction: Eagles
 
Tracy Village v Southern Districts – Tracy Village Oval
 
Southern Districts sit in second-last position with three games to go in the season, but with the DDCC ladder just as close as the AFL, they have every chance of making finals.
 
The one certainty is the Crocs will have to take a different path to last year when they achieved the ultimate. 

The Crocs won a third consecutive flag in 2023 from a first-place finish. But after their 1-2 start to the two-day season this year, a third or fourth-place finish looks far more likely.
 
Crocs all rounder Lachlan Bangs said his side would have to be “very good” from here to defend their title and join the Tracy Village of old who won four flags in succession in the 1970s and ‘80s.
 
“Our top order are definitely due to string a batting performance together and if we sort of get a roll on with the bat, I think we will be very hard to stop,” he said.
 
“The bowling, we know what we got, if we put scores up, teams will have to play very well to beat us.”
 
The Crocs found form, confidence and belief last week with a strong win over one-day champions, Nightcliff, who were rolled for 163 after the Crocs posted 10-268.
 
So they will be energised to produce another strong performance to jump to 12 points and claim a potential spot in the top four at the end of the round.
 
Meanwhile, Tracy will be fighting for their first win of the two-day season after beginning with three straight losses.
 
The Tracy side should be after a response this round following a disappointing loss to PINT, which they would’ve gone in with high hopes after beating them earlier in the season. Instead, they were bowled out for 137 and the Greens struck 3-d/271 in reply to win convincingly.
 
Batting will be the key against a Crocs line up with several bowling threats, including new paceman Delano Potgieter who took 5-42 last week.
 
Prediction: Crocs
 
Nightcliff v Waratah – Nightcliff Oval
 
What a game this is set to be.
 
It is second v third and two sides that have been battling it out at the top half of the DDCC ladder for a long time now.
 
Waratah comes in off the bye so they will have the benefit of some fresh legs perhaps, but they will need to travel north to meet Nightcliff.
 
The Tigers had a roaring start to the season but when they lost star player Connor Carroll after the one-day grand-final win, they have since struggled with some surprise losses hitting them. 
 
But they have regained the Queenslander so maybe that can help spark some fortunes.
 
The Tigers are still going strong but just not to the lofty standards they set themselves early in the season when they won eight games in a row to claim the 50-over flag.
 
Their two-day record reads 2-2 with wins over PINT and Darwin, but losses to Palmerston and Southern Districts.  
 
This game is set to give a strong indication of where the Tigers are at in the two-day format.
 
A loss this round and the Tigers risk a shock fall outside the top four and a chance of missing out on finals altogether. Like the Greens, the Tigers have a bye coming up in their run home.
 
Meanwhile, the Warriors have been slightly better this campaign with a 2-1 record. A win in this affair will give them some breathing room and just about lock in a finals spot, but a loss and they leave the door open.
 
Before the bye, the Warriors scored a convincing win at home over Southern Districts, bowling them out for 217 before posting 3-221.
 
Prediction: Tigers