by Davyd Reid
Round four of Ellinbank District football will see some key match ups between teams jostling in an early season mid-table log jam.
Just one game and percentage separate second-placed Buln Buln from ninth-placed Nyora, with matches to come over the coming weeks set to shape the make up of the lower reaches of the top five.
Neerim-Neerim South are undefeated and the runaway leaders, with the competition benchmark set to take the week off with the bye.
Fifth-placed Longwarry, with two wins, will host Ellinbank.
The Crows will hope to continue the form they showed in the second half of the match with Trafalgar last week, with a key opportunity presenting to increase their buffer inside the top five.
Eighth-placed Ellinbank form part of the chasing pack, just one game outside. A loss to Trafalgar followed a close win over a competitive Poowong in the opening round.
Coming off a two-week break, Ellinbank will be looking for a strong performance to get their season on track and back in contention among the leading teams.
Seventh-placed Yarragon face an important clash when they host Nyora.
The Panthers opened the season with a big win over Nilma Darnum before putting in more competitive efforts against finals fancies Neerim-Neerim South and Lang Lang than seen in previous years.
If Yarragon are going to climb the ladder and remain a respectable mid-table, they simply must bank the points over those sides expected to finish among the lower reaches of the ladder.
This week's contest will go a long way to demonstrating where the Panthers are at. Last week's nail-biting contest against top five side Lang Lang will give the home team some confidence and the slight edge on current form.
Buln Buln and Trafalgar are both presented opportunities to consolidate their position in the top three.
The Lyrebirds enter their match against Poowong knowing they will need to work hard to achieve the result.
While the Magpies sit sixth with one-win, early form suggests they are a much-improved outfit looking to push for a finals appearance and more than capable of causing an upset.
Trafalgar's task appears a little easier. While the Bloods are away from home, they come up against a Catani side that has been struggling and still searching for an opening win.
If the Bloods can get on top in the midfield early as they did against Longwarry last week, a boost to an already healthy percentage is on offer.
Following a stern test against ladder leaders Neerim-Neerim South last week, it doesn't get any easier for Nilma Darnum as they host another top five side in Lang Lang.
The Bombers will be hoping to put in a competitive effort, but will be challenged by a hungry Tigers outfit looking to improve on their inaccurate return from last week's match.
Round four on Saturday:
Buln Buln v Poowong; Catani v Trafalgar; Yarragon v Nyora; Longwarry v Ellinbank, Nilma Darnum v Lang Lang, Neerim-Neerim South bye.