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As the Goulburn Valley League season prepares to reach boiling point, three crucial games are set to light up the second half of round 13 action.
With a split round giving six clubs a week off, teams will be raring to get back in action and end their seasons on a high.
A top four showdown headlines the round of games, with Mansfield and Mooroopna set to do battle.
Meanwhile Kyabram will be hoping to avoid a slip-up against Benalla and the Shepparton Bears face the daunting task of Echuca.
Mansfield v Mooroopna
Mooroopna will make the trip to the high country on Saturday afternoon to take on Mansfield in a crucial bout.
The top four showdown is shaping up to be a cracking contest, with both sides producing impressive victories in recent weeks.
With a cold weekend on the cards, Mansfield coach Chad Owens said he hoped the weather would give the home team the upper hand.
“It looks like they’ve changed their player personnel a bit since we last played them, they also look a bit faster and want to get the game going quick,” Owens said.
“So that’s something we will obviously need to be awake to and we’ll need to try and slow them down.”
Owens said he was not phased by Mooroopna’s recent addition of Jaskson Trengove, with a strong back line including Jack Hutchins, Billy Chiller, Jayden Howes and Lachie Christopher key to stopping the two-pronged attack of Trengove and Chris Nield.
“Obviously Nield and Trengove are great players, but for us it will be more about limiting the way the ball comes into them through pressure in the midfield,” he said.
The Eagles appear poised to sport an unchanged lineup for the clash, with no fresh injuries coming out of the 103-point win over Benalla a fortnight ago.
For Mooroopna, this weekend’s match presents as an opportunity to cement a finals berth for the first time since 2014.
With that magic 12-wins-mark just one triumph away, Cats coach John Lamont said his team would be expecting a tough contest up in the high country.
“It is going to be back-to-basics type of conditions in what is a massive game for us,” Lamont said.
“We need to get to 12 wins (to play finals), but at the same time we don’t want to be distracted by the potential outcome, so we are going to need to be up and about from the start.”
The second meeting between the sides this season, Mooroopna couldn’t curtail the class of the Eagles, falling by 29 points in what was a tough day at the Cattery in round eight.
Lamont said his team learned a lot from that defeat, putting it in good stead ahead of this return clash.
“Mansfield outplayed us that day and we do take a fair bit from it,” he said.
“We were really competitive at times but they were just a bit stronger and had too much polish.
“This time around the sides will be very different, they’ve got some inclusions and so have we from that game, which will add a bit more intrigue to the game and we go in confident we can do the job.”
From its last match against Seymour a fortnight ago, Mooroopna is set to welcome Kai Madgwick back into the lineup, while Rory Huggard is an outside chance to return.
Saturday afternoon’s game in Mansfield will begin at 2pm.
Kyabram v Benalla
Saturday afternoon’s contest in Kyabram is a must-win for the Bombers, with the side in danger of dropping out of the top six.
With Seymour hot on their heels Kyabram will need to be at its best to down a Benalla side who can pull off a surprise.
While the Saints suffered a convincing loss to Mansfield last time out, Benalla coach Mark McKenzie said it was good to have a week off.
“We’ve had the chance to refresh and attack our last three games,” McKenzie said.
“We’ve got a couple of tough ones against Kyabram and Euroa, all we can ask is that the boys turn up and give their best, that’s all we can do at the end of the day.”
Sadly for the Saints, playing-coach Will Martiniello won’t feature on field again this year, with the talent tearing his hamstring against the Eagles, however they are set to welcome back the defensive duo of Sam Harris and Jake Pallpratt this weekend.
“We’ve had to make 11 changes from our last two games, but the boys who have stepped up have battled on really well,” he said.
“We just want to battle, we play two of the top five sides in the last three weeks, we just want to compete, whether that’s hang in for four quarters or put in a performance we can be proud of, we just want to compete.”
Saturday’s game in Kyabram will begin at 2pm.
Shepparton v Echuca
Shepparton will welcome the ladder-leading Echuca to Deakin Reserve on Saturday afternoon.
A daunting task at home or away, the Bears will go in as underdogs against the competition heavyweight.
Shepparton coach Ted Lindon said the game was a great opportunity to play against one of the better teams in country Victoria.
“We’re excited by that and we’re excited by the fact that we’ve been able to be competitive against the better teams all season,” Lindon said.
“We’re excited by the challenge we will face on Saturday.”
The Bears will welcome a number of players back for the clash, while both Connor Fleming and Achoung Agog will miss due to injury.
Lindon will also be on the sidelines this weekend, with the mentor set to enjoy viewing the game from a different angle.
“I’m done for the year with a ruptured ligament,” he said.
“And I was playing with a stress fracture prior to the Swans game so that all came to a head.”
For Shepparton’s opponents, Saturday afternoon provides another opportunity to continue a remarkable season.
The Murray Bombers have swept everything in their path aside this year, and despite an early hiccup against Kyabram in round 15, Echuca still managed to secure the four points.
Saturday’s game at Deakin Reserve will begin at 2pm.
Daniel is a passionate sports fan and proud Tasmanian.