Ararat Eagles and SMW Rovers will both be looking for their first win of the season when they clash at Mininera on Saturday.
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Both teams were kept to low scores by their opponents in the opening round and a more efficient effort under goals will be an area of focus for both teams going into the round two clash.
Rovers coach Kate Bibby said the team took a lot of self belief from round one despite the loss.
“We stuck with them quite well for the first half then we just fell away in the second half,” she said.
“There was some good stuff to come out of the game that we can build on this week.”
The team’s chemistry should improve each week with minimal changes expected for the round two clash.
Bibby said the team blew out some of the cobwebs which should help going into the match against the Eagles.
“We tried a few different combinations last week against Hawkesdale-Macarthur and the base is certainly there to work with for us,” she said.
Despite both teams losing their opening round matches, a close result is expected.
Bibby said the Bulldogs will not be underestimating the Eagles on the Mininera court.
“I would think it will be a pretty competitive game on Saturday,” she said.
“I think our goal ring is going to be the key for us in the match.
“Our duo there is new and if we can click in the attacking third, then it will go a long way to us winning.
“We certainly got a lot of the ball last week, our skills let us down a little bit but the weather did not help and I think that was the case for most teams.”
It will better conditions for the round two match with clouds forecast and a top temperature in the 20s.
Bibby said it does not bother the team where it plays each match but home games are always enjoyable to be involved in.
“We always like playing on our home court but I do not think it will make too much difference to the result on Saturday,” she said.
The Eagles should also benefit from a match under their belt with the team unable to train together for much of the preseason.
With each game played, the team will continue to build chemistry and put into practice plans coach Holly Leggett has in mind.
It is set to be a close contest with both teams desperate to get their first win of the season.
Both teams will go into the match with a chance to win with either team’s best capable of collecting the points at the final whistle.
The round two A Grade match-up is scheduled to start at 1pm at Mininera.