The fortunes of Donald and St Arnaud have been very different in 2016.

As the Donald Royal Blues start preparations for a finals campaign, the St Arnaud Saints know that the side’s season is coming to a close.

Coach Luke Fisher said he had been happy with how the side had played over the past couple of rounds.

“We’ve got to a point where we know what we’re doing as a whole group,” he said.

“Last week also showed us that Wycheproof-Narraport are obviously beatable.”

Following a win over the ladder-leading Demons in round 14, Donald host sixth-placed Boort.

Coach Luke Fisher knows that despite ladder position his team cannot afford to take any side lightly.

“We’ve lost to the bottom side and we’ve beaten the top side,” he said.

“We need to continue playing like we did last week.

“It’s all about building momentum as we head into finals.”

When the sides first met in round one Donald managed an 11-point win.

In round eight, the gap between the sides blew out to 47 points.

“I know Boort can’t make the finals but they are not a long way off,” Fisher said.

He said his side would have to work hard to counter Boort ruckman James Orr as well as versatile utility Aaron Wilson.

“We’ll be more focused on how we play rather than who we are playing,” he said.

For St Arnaud, round 15 will see the side host the third-placed Charlton.

Charlton remains on the same amount of points as Donald.

The two previous encounters between the sides in 2016 were comfortable wins for Charlton.

In round one, the final scoreline was 13.16 (94) to 10.7 (67).

By the time the teams met again the gap between the sides extended to a 58-point margin.

If the team registers a win, it would come on the back of a 102-point loss to Birchip-Watchem in round 14.