Murray Bushrangers will face a do-or-die match-up this weekend, with the NAB League outfit set to take on Sandringham in Williamstown.
The eighth against ninth wildcard game is a pre-finals final of sorts, with the winner taking a place in the finals series and the loser’s season coming to an end.
Bushrangers coach Mark Brown said the side was looking forward to a good game of football, with the clash the first time in a long time the Bushrangers have faced the Dragons.
“There’s not doubt they (Sandringham) are a talented squad,” Brown said.
“But I think the beauty of NAB League is there is talent across the entire competition and we’re certainly not without a fair stack of it ourselves.
“We think our absolute best stacked up against them is capable of winning the game of footy.”
Coming off a heartbreaking post-siren defeat to Bendigo last week, Brown said the side had moved on quickly, with focus now turned to the Dragons encounter.
“We addressed it at the end of the game and said ‘look we’re not going to get caught up with how the game finished’,” he said.
“While we played well in patches we thought it was a pretty average performance from our end.
“We focused on the style of football we want to play, the brand of football we want to play, the brand of football that reflects how we go about it and win, lose or draw as long as we’re very close to that brand of football, we’re pleased.”
Tatura product Brayden George is expected to have increased game time this weekend, with his recovery from knee surgery on track, while 16-year-old Shepparton Swans talent Oliver Warbutron will hold his spot after debuting last week.
“He (George) has looked amazing on the track the last three or four weeks, he’s got genuine power, genuine speed, so we’re hoping he can showcase what he’s capable of,” Brown said.
Saturday’s wildcard clash is set to begin at 2pm at Williamstown Oval, with the winner securing a place in the 2022 NAB League finals and the loser’s season drawing to a close.