2025 Premier League Round 6

Round 6 is shaping as a cracking round in the Premier League, with a 'Distance Derby', an 8 point game, and a Free Kick derby on the cards. Lets have a look at how the week's fixture is shaping up.

Stuttgart Storm (5th, 3-2) vs. Quebec Caribou (1st, 5-0)
@Jono Steven vs. yours truly

The marquee match up of Round 6 is another Free Kick derby, with the Stuttgart Storm, fresh off a nail-biting win against Adelaide, taking on the undefeated Quebec Caribou.The Caribou will see one forced change with Nat Grider set to miss with concussion. However, it was a rougher week injury wise for Stuttgart - talented rookie mid Lucia Painter has been ruled out with concussion, and back-up ruck Montana McKinnon has sadly re-injured the same ACL she ruptured in the 2024 preseason. It isn't all bad news however: superstar Charlie Rowbottom looks likely for a return to the squad. The winner of this match up will be defined by the fantasy outcome of Carlton vs North Melbourne, with the Caribou's Riddell, Garner, Wall, and Fitzpatrick doing battle against the Storm's Hill, Harrington, and Bruton. Can the Storm be the first to lower the colours of the Quebecois in 2025?

Kyoto Kruisers (9th, 1-4) vs. Darmstadt Dynamos (3rd, 3-2)
@FreoDockers vs. @WillH_VI

Fresh off a 150+ point win, Darmstadt ought to be feeling pretty comfortable about their chances of winning vs the Kruisers. However, with the way that the Premier League ladder is sitting (3rd, 4th, and 5th are all tied on a 3-2 record), there isn't a lot of breathing room, and the Kruisers could pose some difficulties for the Dynamos. Scratch below the surface of Kyoto's Round 5 loss, and you see that the list is dotted with young stars on the rise, with all of Lily Goss, Emily Pease, and Ash Richards showing 90+ scoring potential, and the return of Aileen Gilroy giving the squad another high ceiling forward option. The Dynamos will hope that Marinoff, Lucas-Rodd, and Parry show that their scoring from Round 5 is a sign of things to come (with all looking like line leading options) to stave off any hope of an upset.

Vancouver Vultures (6th, 2-3) vs. Lagos Royals (2nd, 5-0)
@Athos123 vs. @Peter W

Vancouver looked excellent in Round 5, hitting their highest scoring mark of the season (1044, 2nd highest for the week) vs. the Korean Kickers, with a win that sees them hold 6th spot on the ladder. However, Round 6 has the undefeated Lagos Royals rolling into town, and given the Lima Llamas are only half a win outside the finals, the Vultures are in a precarious position. With the intimidating core of Bowers, Hore, Molloy, and Scholz looking to make an impression on their first trip to Canada in 2025, will the Vulture's leadership group of Hatchard and Jones, ably supported by Sherar, Georgostathis, and Madi Prespakis, be able to stem the tide and get a vital victory for the Vultures finals hopes?

Lima Llamas (7th, 1-1-3) vs. Korean Kickers (8th, 1-4)
@hoschke118 vs. @Chloe

No Round 6 fixture is more of an "8 point game" that this, with Lima only sitting 2 points out of the finals race, and with the Kickers only half a game behind them. Neither team was able to get a win in Round 5, but there were positives for both squads. The away team had Ally Anderson finally return to form, scoring a century after 4 lean weeks to start the year, and the Peruvians hugely benefitted from the continued improvement of Mia King and the best performance of defender / midfielder Sarah Goodwin in the CBAs. Hopefully the team sheets are kind to Lima, with a line currently out the door to their rehab centre, meaning that they can ill afford any more injuries or surprise demotions. I suspect that this match up will have the smallest margin of the week!

Mallorca Islanders (4th, 3-2) vs. Adelaide All-Stars (10th, 0-1-4)
@TheTassieHawk vs. @Corza

Spare a though for the All-Stars this week, as they trundle into Adelaide Airport to start their 16,000km journey to the Mediterranean in search of their first victory of the 2025 season, having just clutched defeat from the jaws of victory in Round 5, losing by a solitary point at home vs Stuttgart. The Islands boast an impressive midfield, with Ella Roberts and Ty Smith both in ripping form, so it won't be an easy feat of Adelaide. However, there may be a chink in the armour of the Islanders: star key forward Caitlin Gould's broken wrist leaving the door of victory ajar. However, with the return of Katie Brennan and Sofia Hurley looking all but guaranteed, and with Liz McGrath's ankle similarly leaving the All-Stars ruck line looking thin, I suspect it will be another week before we see a victory added to Adelaide's tally in 2025.

 

The Kruisers squad for Round 6

Def: Hannah Priest, Emily Pease, Jess Rentsch (Poppy Scholz)
Mid: Georgie Prespakis, Ellie Blackburn, Orla O'Dwyer, Jasmine Fleming (Ash Centra)
Ruc: Tahlia Hickie (Lauren Pearce)
Fwd: Ash Richards, Aileen Gilroy, Montana Ham (Gabby O'Sullivan)
IC: Lily Goss, Kaitlyn Shroj (Hayley Miller)