The Ararat Football Netball Club will return from a two-week break to take on Southern Mallee Giants in round nine of the Wimmera Football Netball League.
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The circuit breaker lockdown came at a particularly inopportune time for Ararat's Senior team.
Poised to face winless Nhill side in round seven, the Rats would have been in an excellent position to claim four points and move closer to a finals spot.
The Wimmera Football League returned to play on the Queen's Birthday Long Weekend, but a bye meant the Rats had another week without football.
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Senior team coach Matthew Walder said the Rats are focused on what aspects of the season they could control.
"It's how you manage it. You can worry about it or you can just manage that time wisely and make sure you're well set up," he said.
Ararat is sixth on the ladder, equal on points with fifth-placed Horsham Saints, but with a lower percentage.
Since its Good Friday loss to Stawell, the Rats have continuously improved, registering wins against Horsham, Warrack Eagles, and Horsham Saints.
Walder said he was optimistic about the team's chances of making the finals.
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"We've won three games and there's still plenty of opportunity in the back half of the season," he said.
"With where we are now we're confident of our ability to win enough games to get our way into the finals."
However, if they win against Southern Mallee Giants in round nine, it potentially is their most impressive victory yet.
The Giants have only lost two games, and each of those losses were by a margin of less than a goal.
Walder said he was still hopeful his team could take a win from Beulah Recreation Reserve.
"They're a strong team. But they stumbled last week against Saints, so they're obviously gettable," he said.
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"We'll be looking at the game confidently but we'll also be respectful that they're a very good side."
With Nhill similarly at the bottom of the A Grade ladder, Ararat's netballers were likewise deprived of an excellent opportunity to collect four points.
Ararat is seventh on the ladder, having won two and lost four.
Southern Mallee Giants are unbeaten on top of the ladder, with every other team has lost at least twice.
Yet, the Giants do not pose an insurmountable challenge. Their past three wins were only by 11, seven, and six points, respectively.
The last of these matches were against Horsham Saints in round eight, who Ararat battered by 20 points in round six.
The gulf between the two teams is therefore potentially more minor than the ladder suggests
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