Ararat will look to break a four year drought when they travel to take on the Horsham Saints at the weekend.
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The Rats have not beaten the Saints since May 3, 2014. The Ararat side came away with a 10-point win at Coughlin park in that meeting in round three of that season but have failed to claim four points against the Saints since.
The new-look Ararat side will go into the game with a great amount of confidence, despite their first and only match of the season so far being played nearly one month ago.
Ararat coach Shane Fisher said his team has prepared well for their second match.
“Playing round one and not continuing on with matches is of course a bit different but we have done things to ensure we are ready come Saturday,” he said.
“We have had a few intraclub matches and the boys are definitely still fit enough.”
Their side will mostly be unchanged, with Leigh Montagna the key omission from that game going into Saturday.
“We have a few boys in the mix which makes the team tough to pick,” Fisher said.
“It is a good problem to have knowing we can call up some guys we know can perform at that level.
“There is pressure in-house that we maintain the level we were at against Stawell on a week to week basis which should help drive healthy competition among the group.
Despite Montagna finishing his stint with the club, Fisher said his players were able to learn valuable lessons from the former St Kilda star.
“He helped with some of the midfield set ups and plans which the boys took on board. We have been trying them out over the course of the last four weeks,” he said.
Ararat’s opponent goes into the game with a much less impressive lead up, losing their first round game by 45 points to the Horsham Demons.
“They might be a bit more match hardened since they only played last week,” Fisher said.
“They are well experienced and have had a lot of success in recent years so we will have to be at our best.”
The Rats were clinical in their round one win last month, moving the ball seamlessly and going inside 50 frequently.
Fisher said his team will need to do more of the same this Saturday.
“Accountability for our players is a key thing we have focused on,” he said.
“There is a bit more maturity with our group now. The game plan worked in the first round so we will be trying it again.
“We will back ourselves and the system we have put in place to get the job done.”
