The Ararat Rats will have a chance to cement their spot in the top two with a win against third-placed Minyip-Murtoa on Saturday afternoon.
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It shapes up as the type of match that could influence the ladder later in the season, as the Rats aim for their fifth win of the year in the round six match-up.
Rats coach Shane Fisher said the team was playing well but the next test would be to do it away from Alexandra Oval.
“We are playing well at home but we want to compete really well against the top sides on their home decks,” he said,
“We do have to tweak how we play a little bit, Minyip-Murtoa play really tall and have some experience in the middle, so we will lock down on a few of their players on the smaller ground.”
While the Rats have already won four games for the year, more than the team won for the entire 2017 season, Fisher said the team is not getting ahead of itself just yet.
We are playing well at home but we want to compete really well against the top sides on their home decks.
- Shane Fisher
“I continue to say we are maturing and improving each week and with that comes the expectation to perform like that every week,” he said. “If we can win a couple more games the expectation to play finals becomes a reality for us.”
Minyip-Murtoa have also had a promising start to the year but coach Damian Cameron said the team will not be underestimating the Rats going into the round six match.
“Ararat are travelling along pretty well and as far as I know they are a good all-round team,” he said. “So we will have to be at our best all over the ground. Obviously our back line is going to want to shut down their forward line but we have to do as much attacking as we can as well.”
The Burras are coming off a 21-point loss to Horsham Demons and will need a better performance to get the win against Ararat.
Cameron said the team needed to lift in all areas of the ground ahead of the round six match.
“Ararat play their ground really well and they are super fit, so being on a smaller at Murtoa should give is a small advantage,” he said.
The Burras are expecting to make up to four changes to the team that lost to the Demons on Saturday.
“We have got Sam Winfield who will miss the match after having a few scans on his neck and a few of our leaders who will have to prove their fitness before the game as well,” he said.
Harry Ganley is set to return for the Rats to bolster the line-up.
