THERE will be no second chances for either Tooleybuc-Manangatang or Koondrook-Barham when the two clubs clash in the penultimate round of the home-and-away season Saturday afternoon.
The Raiders shock loss to Lake Boga last Saturday has opened the door for the Saints, who leapfrogged over their opposition with a percentage boosting 139-point win over Swan Hill.
Koondrook-Barham will get their chance to bridge the percentage gap next weekend when they too play the Swans, but the only way to guarantee a finals berth is by beating Tooleybuc-Manangatang on Saturday.
It’s the same scenario for the Saints however, who also need to keep winning according to senior coach Brad Morris, having kept their season alive on the back of three straight wins.
“We’ve known over the back end of the year that it’s going to be pretty tight finish for us,” Morris told The Guardian this week.
“I guess with our form and with winning our last three games on the trot, plus the result of Koondrook-Barham and (Lake) Boga last week obviously helping us, it’s sort of put a glint in the boys’ eyes.
“We just knew that we had to keep winning and it was as simple as that from six weeks ago and to the boys credit, they’ve done it so far.
“Obviously this weekend will be a be another huge test, but again, the same results required if we want to have a crack at the finals.”
Tooleybuc-Manangatang will be close to full strength for the must-win match, with Josh Koster returning to their line-up.
Koondrook-Barham on the other hand will be without Lee Dale and Daniel O’Connell joining Isaac Corvo, Jack Shannon and Roy George on the side lines, with Harry Bremner also returning to the Bendigo Pioneers this week.
With Ethan Reeves rated a 50-50 prospect to return, the Raiders will go into the season defining game undermanned and as underdogs – a position they are becoming accustomed to, according to Koondrook-Barham coach Marcus Demaria.
“It will be a big challenge, but it’s also probably a situation that’s very similar to a fortnight ago when we played against Nyah (NNW United),” Demaria said.
“We went over there undermanned and we managed to get ourselves 10 points up in the last quarter in a winnable position, and we dropped it but I still thought the boys really fought out that game.
“Depending on the situation of the game, we’ll probably take some learnings away from that game a couple of weeks ago, particularly early in the game and again late in the game.
“I think we dominated the middle half of the game, but they kicked first five out of six goals early on and then they kicked the last four in the game.
“I see this week as a very similar challenge to that because we will need our fringe players to really stand up as they are probably going to take on some key roles for us.
“After last week, I was pretty disappointed after that game and I’m pretty sure that some of our players want to make amends as well.”
Although Koondrook-Barham come into the game having lost their past two matches, they should take confidence from their 15-point win over the Saints in round 6.
The Raiders got the jump on Tooleybuc-Manangatang that afternoon and were able to control the match around the contest, with Jacob Barrington one of the few players to take the points against Connor Mcdonald.
The Saints were missing several key players however, including Ethan Johnstone, Connor Nutting and Elliott Chalmers, while Josh Domaille and Josh Williams also suffered game ending injuries either side of half time.
“There’s a few bits and pieces that we will take away from that game, but they will have a very different team than the one that took to the field for them that day,” Demaria said.
“They didn’t have Nutting from memory and he’s a very difficult match up as that hybrid forward.
“Finding someone to cover him won’t be easy, and similarly with Ethan Johnstone, we will need to be really mindful of them and making sure we try to nullify them.”
Having played forward last weekend against the Swans, expect Williams to return to defence for Tooleybuc-Manangatang on Saturday, with the dangerous Kye Attwell the most likely match up.
With 31 goals this season, Attwell has the ability to rip a game apart, however he needs to do play at his best on a more consistent basis, with no better time that the present for his side.
The midfield will be the other key battleground on Saturday, especially with the Raiders’ rotations taking a hit without Dale, Bremner, George and Shannon rolling through the middle.
With Tooleybuc-Manangatang at full strength, and with Blake Grant, Sebastian Rogers, Domaille, Chalmers and the dynamic Mcdonald all impacting out of the centre square, the Saints deserve to – and will – start favourites. Tip – Tooleybuc-Manangatang to win by nine points.
KEY MATCH-UP
Connor Mcdonald v Jacob Barrington
JACOB Barrington has been putting together some sort of season for the Raiders and will be central to his team’s chances of success once again on Saturday.
Barrington took the points back in round 6 against Mcdonald, which was one of the very few times the Saints big man has had his colours lowered since joining the Central Murray last season.
Barrington was central to the Raiders’ win that afternoon but could be in for a torrid time on Saturday, with Mcdonald named among the Saints’ better players in all bar two games this season, including a best on ground display last Saturday against the Swans.
THE BURNING QUESTION
Has Koondrook-Barham’s 2025 climb peaked?
THEY have been without doubt the most improved side this season, with Marcus Demaria transforming the Raiders from a one-win wooden spoon winning team into a genuine finals contender.
But despite their obvious improvement, the Raiders have been unable to field a consistent team in the second half of the season with a revolving door of players making it nigh on impossible to hold their form.
While Tooleybuc-Manangatang come into the match with three wins, they have been against Swan Hill, Kerang and Lake Boga in games that they were expected to win.
The difference is that winning form is good form, and with Koondrook-Barham losing to the Magpies last weekend, it’s hard to tip them with any great certainty.
