It is set to be a wild weekend of action in Murray Football League with a first-v-second clash set to headline what could prove to be a pivotal period in the competition.
League leader Mulwala will travel to take on second-placed Congupna in a match that will either have one team pull ahead, or blow the race for top spot wide open.
After the Lions and The Road suffered surprising defeats last round, there will be plenty to play for at Congupna Recreation Reserve on Saturday afternoon.
To say there is a great deal on the line would be an understatement – top spot is potentially up for grabs, but Congupna co-coach Ben Bingham said his side would be up for the challenge.
“We are really looking forward to this week,” Bingham said.
“Obviously it is not ideal coming off a loss, but we are looking to bounce back because of that.
“It is a top-of-the-table clash, it is the perfect time for us to have it. We learned a few things last week that we can adjust on, so there is no better time to play Mulwala. The boys are champing at the bit for it.”
Saturday’s result could will have massive implications on the ladder and alter the entire course of the race towards finals.
A win for Mulwala would have it hold on to top spot, while Congupna would likely slip out of the top two as a result.
On the flip side, a win for The Road would draw the Lions back to the chasing pack and create a three-way tie for first place.
“It’s a massive game. Not only for us, but for them as well,” Bingham said.
“When you look at years gone by, that top two spot is ideal in the Murray league to get that double chance.
“If history is anything to go by, you can only afford to lose three or four games. We can’t afford to be dropping any more at this midway point of the year. We not only have a big game this week, but we have a big few weeks coming up.
“It is really important to hit the ground running and really get a good result and hopefully bounce back from when they took care of us early on in the season.”
It was Mulwala that came away with the chocolates and a 30-point victory when the two sides met in week two, but Bingham said there were key lessons his side could hopefully build on from that day.
“There is no hiding that last time we played Mulwala they really won the game out of the midfield stoppages. That is something that we are still working on,” he said.
“Coming out after the bye in round nine we have seemed fairly flat. We just didn’t have the same spark. The bye helped us freshen up, but after that break we just weren’t our sharp selves to start off with.
“We just have to tidy up a couple of things and I’m sure the guys will respond really well and hopefully get the form that we had pre-bye. We are really positive and confident that we can do that.”
Bingham said Congupna should also benefit from a key in for this weekend’s clash.
“We will get Sam Buxton back from injury, we are really happy to get him in. He will bolster our ruck situation,” he said.
Elsewhere, there are key match-ups galore that could have potential finals implications.
Arch rivals Cobram (sixth) and Barooga (eighth) are tied on 20 points and a top-six spot will be on the line when they face off on Saturday.
Moama (fourth) will be looking to gain a game back on either Mulwala or Congupna, but it will have to overcome cross-river rival Echuca United (11th) to do so.
Numurkah (third) could move up to second if it can top Tocumwal (12th), while Finley (seventh) and Nathalia (fifth) will be keen to keep pace with the top eight pack if they can prevail against Deniliquin (10th) and Tongala (ninth), respectively.