A local derby will be offered at Deniliquin Memorial Park tomorrow, when the Deniliquin Rovers host the Mathoura Timbercutters in round 17 action of the Picola League.
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The Cutters are coming in after improved performances over the last few weeks, but still searching for their first win of the year in the senior football.
They lost by 23 points to Blighty two weeks ago - 4.12 (36) to Blighty’s 9.5 (59) - and by 112 points against Jerilderie last round - 1.3 (9) to Jerilderie’s 16.25 (121).
Despite the loss in the seniors' football, Mathoura head coach Adam Bourke said the game against Jerilderie was a promising day for the club.
“Firstly, it was Jerilderie’s indigenous round on Saturday. It was quite good to be a part of.
‘There was a smoking ceremony before the seniors game and the Indigenous fellas swapped gifts, so we’ll put that in the trophy cabinet.
“We thank Jerilderie for including us in that, it was quite a special day to be a part of.
“Once the game started, we had a really good start into the first quarter. 10 minutes in, they (Jerilderie) had maybe kicked one goal.”
However, keeping up against the Dees was always going to be a challenge.
“After that, they kicked six goals in the second half of the first quarter.
“It was a bit of the story for the day.
“We were really good against the wind and strong in the first 10 to 12 minutes of the quarters, but from 13 onwards we couldn’t keep it up.
“We had good passages throughout the day, but just struggled to string together 20 minutes to 25 minutes of good play together.
“That has been our challenge.
“Having said that, our two captains Clint Atkinson and Clint McNabb played really well for us and led from the front.
“Other guys like Ridley Gass, Jack Pell, Jake Rawe, Mitch Worsnop and Mak Eddy all contributed and showed good connection which is good to see.”
While they were up against it, their last game also showed positive signs for the Cutters, even if it has come late in the season.
The team will be looking to repeat their recent form against the Deni Rovers.
The sides last met in round one, with Deni dominating with a 28.19 (187) to 3.1 (19) scoreboard.
Tomorrow is a chance for the Cutters to display how much they’ve improved since the start of the season.
“It’s a chance to show the inroads that we’ve made,” Bourke said.
“Against teams like Dookie and Tocumwal earlier in the year we conceded around 50 shots on goal, but against those sorts of teams we’ve become much more competitive after a few better games across the season.
“Against the Rovers, if I can recall correctly, we let them get 10 goals in the last quarter.
“To go down in that manner again would be disappointing. We’re hoping for a four-quarter performance.”
“We want to be competitive in the final rounds going into preseason.
“It helps with a bit of momentum and with recruitment to show the improvement we’ve put in place.
“I really hope the Rovers and Picola United field their full teams as we want that challenge, and we’re always looking for our first win, we’re looking for an upset and hope to show that competitiveness.”
For Deni, tomorrow is a chance to fine-tune their performances leading into the last two games of the home and away season.
The Rovers are coming off an 118 point win against Rennie at Memorial Park last weekend, and will be looking to replicate that result.
Rovers coach Alex Hay said the win against Rennie reflected what the team have been trying to execute this season.
“It was good to get back to some of our free flowing ball movement, and we really looked like we were working hard for each other, which had been a focus coming into the game.
“Something we spoke about was just executing the fundamentals more consistently, which at times you can go away from when form is down a little bit - trying to do too much.
“Defensively, it was great to hold Rennie to a low score. Although their line-up was depleted from a few injury troubles, our tackling and pressure at the ball gave us the opportunity to intercept a lot of ball going forward.”
Hay said as the season nears its end, the team will be trying to balance keeping winning form and the fitness of the players.
“There will be an element of management over the next two weeks, but we’ll be really conscious not to flirt with form going into finals,” he said.
“There are still certainly a lot of areas that we need to refine from a game style perspective, particularly defensively, where at times form would show that a couple of forwards have done some significant damage.
“But then, on the other hand, our health will be our greatest ally if we can put the team on the park with some consistency.”
Tomorrow is also the Rovers’ Past Players and Supporters Day at Memorial Park, followed by the Goods and Services Auction, which should provide extra incentive for a good performance.
Hay said the seniors will tap into the club’s history in the preparation, as well as just focusing on putting on a good performance on the field.
“Past Players Day is always a great occasion, and we’ve played with a lot of wonderful players who have contributed a great deal to the club both on and off the field.
“I think every week you emphasise that when you put the jumper on; you take on some of the legacy of those who came before you.
“So that will certainly be a point that we touch on prior to taking the field on the weekend, but primarily it will be around playing our brand and giving ourselves the best opportunity to win.”