ANOTHER chapter in the modern rivalry between Woorinen and Kerang will be written this Saturday in what shapes as another game for the ages between the top-three adversaries.
After climbing back to third place last Saturday, the Tigers can take a big step towards locking away the double chance with a win, which is exactly what Kerang will be hoping for to keep their chances of finishing on top of the Central Murray ladder alive.
Having found form with three wins from their past three matches, Woorinen will be confident of breaking Kerang’s seven-game winning streak, but also aware that anything less than their best won’t be good enough.
“You know when you come up against Kerang, you need to prepare well because you’ve always got a game on your hands,” Woorinen coach Marcus Demaria said.
“We’ll put a fair bit of time and effort into this one.
“We’ve climbed into the top three now, but we want to make sure we stay there because the double chance is going to be vital this year.
“It’s absolutely crucial, because at least if you have an off day in a final, then you get another chance.
“But if you finish outside the top three and you have an off day, you’re cooked, so on that basis, Saturday is a pretty important game.”
A similar sentiment was shared by Kerang coach Troy Coates, with the Blues looking forward to testing themselves against a team they could potentially meet again later this season.
“Any game we play against them is always a tough and competitive one, and I’m confident Saturday will be no different, especially on their home deck,” Coates said.
“I feel we play our best footy against the best sides, but we also want to bounce back as I felt we were pretty poor in some areas last week and we want to get back to playing good team footy, playing for each other and following our game plan and structures.
“Every time we play Woorinen it’s always a close game that goes down to the wire, and I have no doubt it will be no different this week.”
Sam Heavyside will miss after injuring his groin against Tooleybuc-Manangatang last Saturday, with Josh Hann (hamstring) needing to pass an overnight fitness test to take his place.
The news isn’t all bad for the Blues, with Josh Nitschke and Jesse Clark set to return to the team that defeated Tooleybuc-Manangatang by 73 points last weekend.
Woorinen will also be forced into making changes to their side, with Robert Rush (hamstring) and Tom Langford expected to miss, while Doug Beames and Regan Vesty will also need to pass fitness tests.
The challenge for the Tigers will be combating Kerang’s deep and talented midfield, with Nitschke among the elite onballers in the competition, along with Marty Kelly, Adam Baird, Brett Kennedy, Tyson Clingan and Bradlee Pay.
Although Woorinen have their fair share of talented midfielders, with Jye Barry, Henry Thompson, Josh Domaille and Lachlan Warburton, their team defence is what Demaria hoped would give them the advantage.
“Our attacking play always comes off the back of our defence and our ability to pressure and win the ball back,” Demaria said.
“We have a defence-first mindset, so we need to make sure that we’re putting pressure on the ball, we’re pairing off when we need to, we’re taking away their options and I think if we do that well, we’ll give ourselves every chance.
“But we need to be on the ball and our offence generally takes care of itself off the back of our defensive pressure.
“They’re a team that changes and adjusts the way they play, and they have the ability to change their style of play depending on who they’re playing and the situation of the game.
“They have some key playmakers that we will need to put some time into, they bat very deep, so you can’t put too much time into a heap of them, but we’ve identified two or three that we’ll need to go to work on.”
Although Kerang have matchwinners on every line, so do Woorinen, with Coates aware of the potential threat posed by several of the Tigers’ key playmakers.
“One player I rate really highly is Will Collicoat, he played really well against us on their home ground last year and we’re very aware of what he is capable of,” Coates said.
“He didn’t play against us earlier in the season, but he’s a smart forward who knows how to find the ball.
“Arnold Kirby is always dangerous and we’ll have to be mindful of him also, and I thought Regan Vesty got on top of us across half-forward earlier this year as well.
“They spread the load really well across the midfield and Jye Barry is obviously a star, but they spread the load really well and although they are strong through the middle, they don’t rely on any one player.”
Tip – Kerang to win by eight points.
KEY MATCH-UP
Arnold Kirby/Lachlan Gardner v Nick Lang
THERE’S no doubt that Nick Lang is one of, if not the best ruckman in the Central Murray, with his tap work around the stoppages often giving Kerang’s talented engine room first use of the ball.
Coupled with his marking ability around the ground, Lang is clearly one of the players that the Tigers will need to stop.
Although Lang is one of the best in the competition, so are Woorinen’s pairing of Arnold Kirby and Lachlan Gardner, with the Tigers expected to try and tag team Lang.
THE BURNING QUESTION
Where do Kerang play Sean Hunter?
HAVING quickly turned himself into one of the Central Murray’s best playmakers, the challenge for Troy Coates and Kerang is where they deploy Hunter to best exploit the Tigers.
Having spent the first part of the season plying his trade across half-back, the Blues then moved him forward, where he has turned himself into one of the league’s most dangerous small forwards, booting 14 goals.
While he provides Kerang with plenty of run and drive across half-back, the lack of a natural match-up in Woorinen’s defence should probably mean Hunter starts forward.
