DONALD coach Paul Brooks says his side will treat its David v Goliath match against three-time reigning premier Wedderburn like any other game.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The winless Royal Blues take on the undefeated Redbacks at Donaldson Park, Wedderburn, on Saturday.
“We have just got to go in the same as we would against any other side,” Brooks said.
“It’s going to be a big occasion for the boys coming up against the yardstick of the competition and it will be good to see how we handle the pressure.
“Every game is winnable and we have to turn up ready to play four good quarters of footy.”
Brooks said the developing Donald had been fairly competitive in 2014, despite the results suggesting otherwise.
“We’ve improved against Birchip-Watchem and Wycheproof-Narraport, but we’re just not finishing off games,” he said.
“Other sides are running over the top of us late which makes the scores look worse.”
The Royal Blues will be looking for the likes of James Heslop, utility Brody Haddow, half-forward Alex Sheridan and on-baller Brent Gilmour to continue their good form.
But they will need to find a way to combat a talented Redbacks line-up, led by two of the competition’s dominant forwards Sam Barnes and Brady Herdman.
St Arnaud will face another tough challenge as it returns from the bye to host Charlton at Lord Nelson Park.
Both sides will be looking to rebound from defeats to Wedderburn – the Saints going down by 28 goals a fortnight ago and the Navy Blues losing by 12 points at the weekend.
The Navy Blues won by 28 points when the sides last met in last year’s semi-finals.
At Wycheproof Recreation Reserve, Wycheproof-Narraport will look to add to its first win of the season against Boort.
North Central Football League has named a 45-player training squad for its clash with Wimmera Football League on May 24.
See the squad here