The Timbercutters are coming off a 198 point loss away to the top of the ladder side, Katandra.
Cutters’ senior football coach Adam Bourke said it does not reflect the effort being put in by the team.
“I think if we look at the scoreline, 32 goals in isolation looks really bad,” he said.
“But against Tungamah a couple of weeks ago they had 63 scoring shots which is down to less than 50 scoring shots against Katandra on the weekend. So while it might not immediately look like it, it does show real improvement.
“The first eight to 10 minutes were really competitive. We had repeat stoppages, we then let them score five or six goals in 10 minutes, which goes to our inconsistency this season.
“Speaking with the Katandra coach after the game, he was pretty impressed with how we performed, and he said that we were better than what they had expected.
“We had the ball for chunks of the game, and we’re hoping to take some of that competitive football to Strathmerton over four quarters.”
Strathmerton are currently 12th on the ladder.
Although it may seem an easier challenge than last week, the Cutters are well aware of what their opponents are capable of.
Strathy have recorded a few good wins this season, despite their ladder position.
“They’ve probably had a few injuries similar to us, and we know they’ve had a good few wins, including last week against Rennie, the week before against Katunga and earlier in the season against Dookie United.
“We’re quite aware that they can be pretty good.
“Our aim is to not turn the ball over and give it back to them so easily in dangerous positions.
“We’ve had five to six of our best players out and hopefully this weekend we’ll start to have two or so come back, which should help.”
Bourke said he is keen for his side to keep improving, although recognises improvement may not be as instant as they hope.
“Development is going a bit slower than I’d like as a coach.
“We’ve got a lot of 18 and 19 year-olds who are still grappling with old school footy and playing man-on-man, and kicking it back to the place that it comes from.
“One of the younger players I was speaking with earlier in the week was saying he’s been doing things a certain way for years, and is having trouble trying to do it differently. But that is the reality, and it is important we stick with it.
“We have been good in patches and there have been slight improvements, but we’ve got to keep working at it.
“We’re always looking for our first win, and hope to have a competitive game against Strathmerton.”
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