A CLASH between last season’s defeated grand finalist and a pre-season favourite will highlight Saturday’s fifth round of the Wimmera Football League.
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Strong recruiting allowed the Warriors to establish themselves as favourites before a ball had been bounced this season.
While the side’s form through the first three rounds have garnered the team three wins, a loss at the hands of Horsham in its only game against another genuine contender raised some questions.
Warriors coach Tom Eckel will hope his side can answer some of those questions when his side travels to Murtoa to take on the Burras.
He said he expected the game to be a tough contest.
“They are a competitive team, and we will have to be at our best to beat them,” he said.
“It will be a good opportunity to see where we are at.”
The game will pit some of the best forwards in the league against a side boasting the best defensive record.
The Burras have conceded just 189 points in the first four rounds, an average of just 47.25 a game.
David Andrivon and Travis Graham have combined for 29 Stawell goals so far this season and will challenge the stingy Minyip-Murtoa back six
It is a challenge coach Damian Cameron thinks his side will be up to.
“I think our defensive match-ups will work well for us,” he said. “But just like any week our focus will be on what we are doing rather than the opposition.”
The game will also have many players clash after they played alongside one another representing the league a fortnight ago. “That will be interesting as well,” Cameron said. “The two main ruckman from the Wimmera side will battle it out and there will be another four or five interleague midfielders battling at their feet.”
It makers winning the midfield battle even more important as both sides would consider it a strength in their game.
Cameron said each team would have gained a little bit of insight into its opposition during interleague.
“It probably isn’t that much and it works both ways,” he said. “I think winning the midfield battle will be very important.
“Winning the clearances will go a long way to winning the game as both sides will back their forwards in.”
The game is also the start of a testing fortnight for the Burras.
Following the game against Stawell the side will travel to City Oval to take on Horsham Demons.
Cameron said his side is well prepared for the challenge ahead but it continues to focus on a week by week basis. “We need to keep working on improving things we notice in the games each round,” he said.
