Last time they met: Round 14, 2014. Dimboola 18.14 (122) d Ararat 14.12 (96).

ARARAT coach David Hosking believes his side is as well equipped as it can be to handle a tough test against Dimboola on Saturday.

The Rats make the trek to Dimboola for a match that will see the winner cement its spot in the top three ahead of the interleague bye.

Hosking said his side regained some belief from its big win over Nhill in round four.

‘‘I think we gained a bit of confidence coming off last week, which we needed,’’ he said.

‘‘If we play well it should be a good game, but it will be a good test for us.

‘‘They’ve always been a pretty strong team physically and it’s fair to say that we’re as well equipped as we have been to handle that.’’

The Rats were felled by injuries early in the season but have regained a few players to strengthen their line-up.

‘‘In the past three weeks we’ve averaged getting one back a week,’’ Hosking said.

Aaron Searle and Brayden Ferguson will not play before June.

Mick Fratin and James Laidlaw should be available for selection after the interleague round.

Dimboola will hope the match-up is not another heart-stopper, after last week’s four-point win over Stawell.