AFTER returning to form with a dominant 80-point win over Tyntynder last Saturday, Tooleybuc-Manangatang will be aiming to take their first big scalp of the season when they host the Mallee Eagles on Saturday.
With just six matches remaining, the sixth placed Saints know there is little margin for error if they are to make a late push for a finals berth this season.
Heading into Saturday with five wins and five losses, Tooleybuc-Manangatang sit right in the middle of the table – and with good reason, considering they have only beaten the five teams directly below them so far.
An 0-5 record against the current top five is not one that pleases Tooleybuc-Manangatang coach Brad Morris, with the Saints coach and his players also keen to make amends for their round 1 blowout against the Eagles.
“We’ve tried to not look to deeply into that game (round 1), but the flip side is that game gave us a bit of a kick up the bum really,” Morris told The Guardian this week.
“You look back on it and go, well, that’s where the top end is and that’s where we need to get too.
“We’ve talked about that game and we haven’t dismissed it, because it wasn’t a good start for us.
“The good thing is we know where they are at and what to expect from them and even though we’ve started to get ourselves right, we have to gear up for a big challenge against a quality team again.”
While the Saints have seemingly returned to form in recent weeks, one player who has been a big part of that form change has been intercept defender Josh Williams.
Williams won’t be out there for the must-win match on Saturday, with his absence set to test the home side’s ability to not only win the ball across half back, but lock down and nullify the impact of Mallee Eagles key forwards Darcy Hourigan and Andrew Mead-Harding.
Josh Koster will return for Tooleybuc-Manangatang and will help provide midfield cover, but it’s the absence of Williams that will hurt the most.
Compounding the Saints woes will be the returns of Zac O’Meara and Wes Bennett, with the two speedsters giving the Eagles an injection of speed off half back and through the midfield.
The Eagles will go into Saturday’s match as one of the form teams of the competition, but despite their strong showing back in round 1, Mallee Eagles co-coach Harry Allen is expecting a far tougher contest Saturday afternoon.
“Round one, maybe compared to the other rounds, is always a bit different because everyone is still unsure about everything in that first game of the season and some teams can start slowly and others can start hot,” Allen said.
“We certainly played well that day and had a good win, but I’m expecting a bit more of a fierce battle this time.
“They’re pushing and fighting for a finals spot so there’s certainly that element to it, but we had some match-ups that worked well back in round one that will give us some food for thought ahead of the weekend.”
One player Allen and his Eagles players will be watching closely is ruckman Connor Mcdonald, with the reigning joint Jack Betts Medallist again among the key contributors in recent games for the Tooleybuc-Manangatang.
Mcdonald was unstoppable last Saturday despite coming up against Josh Potter and will be a key player again opposed to Cameron Cook, with Allen fully aware of the danger the Saints big man posses.
“He (Mcdonald) is a league medallist for a reason and he’s having another really good season,” Allen said.
“He’s their barometer I feel, particularly in the middle and he is a superb tap ruckman, but he can be just as damaging in the midfield and can sneak forward and be dangerous too.
“It’s not just him though, they have some really good top end talent with guys like (Elliot) Chalmers and Connor Nutting, who has been their main source of goals.”
Although the Saints have the top end talent to trouble the Eagles, they don’t possess the same depth as the men from Lalbert, who have no discernible weak link in the entire 22.
The biggest strength though lies with their defence, with Joe Halloran and Tom McGregor filling the key position posts, and Harry McGregor, Isaiah Bull and O’Meara intercept marking and rebounding from defence.
The Eagles have proven themselves to be one of the most consistent teams when it comes to ball movement this season, with Morris acknowledging his team will need to counter the Eagles delivery if they are to be any chance of an upset.
“Our pressure is going to have to be through the roof,” Morris said.
“When you come up against a team that has the right team balance all over the field, you really have to be prepared to work hard defensively and work hard to pressure the ball carrier and pressure the football and try to capitalise from that.
“We want to try and pressure them as much as possible and bring the game back to more of a contest and restrict their outside movement.”
Tip – Mallee Eagles to win by 40 points.
KEY MATCH-UP’S
Connor Nutting v Harry McGregor
DESPITE kicking 28 goals from his six matches this season, it hasn’t been all smooth sailing for Tooleybuc-Manangatang spearhead Connor Nutting in 2025.
Although Nutting’s five goals last week showed he has returned from injury in form, the one match where he was held goalless was of course against the Mallee Eagles back in round 1.
Harry McGregor was given the task that afternoon and didn’t allow Nutting an opportunity to impart his influence on the game at any stage.
You can be certain that when Nutting heads down to the goal square – McGregor will be waiting for him.
THE BURNING QUESTION
How do the Mallee Eagles curb the influence of Connor Mcdonald?
THERE’S little doubt that Mcdonald is the premier ruckman in the Central Murray at present and is the one person capable of winning a game off his own boot for Tooleybuc-Manangatang.
He was well held by the Eagles back in round 1 when Dom Makur was able to compete with him both athletically around the ground and in the air.
Makur hasn’t played seniors since round 6 however, with the Mallee coaching staff instead preferring Cameron Cook, who is a totally different style of ruckman.
Although Cook may be able to compete with Mcdonald in the air, the Eagles will have to consider another option when Mcdonald starts to roam the ground, as he showed just how damaging he can be when playing as a midfielder in the second half last Saturday.
