One of the hottest local rivalries in the Picola League will reach fever pitch this weekend, when the Blighty Redeyes and the Deniliquin Rovers do battle.
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As the last round of the home and away season, expect an engaging fixture.
A bumper crowd is expected for the Deniliquin Memorial Park clash.
And with the Deni Rams having a bye this weekend, the Rovers have extended free entry to Deniliquin Rams membership cardholders keen to see some great local footy and netball in action. Simply show your card at the gate.
This is the second time the two clubs’ senior teams have come head-to-head this year, with the earlier round the annual Warner Tasker Cup Clash.
In that April match, the Rovers won by 55 points.
But fresh from a victory against third on the ladder Barooga last week, Blighty will be looking to spring another upset against the finals-bound Rovers.
“We know Rovers are another quality side, and we expect them to be firing towards finals,” seniors coach Dane Leyden said.
“We would love to challenge them and continue to play with confidence.
“We’ll need to bring unwavering pressure from start to finish if we want to give ourselves a chance.”
Leyden said the team’s form has been particularly rewarding for the players after their efforts this season and heading into the divided league next year.
“It feels like we’ve got a bit of reward for the season on paper.
“We know we’ve improved, but it’s taken some time to gel as a side and I feel like the boys are starting to believe in the group, which is an outcome we can be happy with going into the off season.
“We’ll lose a couple this week, but it gives another few young blokes a chance at senior footy.”
In the blue corner, the Rovers senior footballers have had three wins in a row, including a 99 point win against Rennie last week.
Rovers coach Alex Hay said the team played well in most areas but can still improve, including their goal kicking after kicking 25 behinds last round.
“It was a really pleasing performance and I thought the defensive side of our game is continuing to improve.
“Our pressure and work around the contest gave us a good field position, and from there we were able to defend well as a team and move the ball pretty well through the middle of the ground.
“I thought our connection between the midfield and forward line was particularly strong.
“We created plenty of scoring opportunities, used our deeper targets well and had a good spread of contributors across the ground.
“There are still areas we can improve, particularly our finishing in front of goal and maintaining our standards for the entire game, but overall, it was another positive step forward.”
This week, Hay said the team are set for a motivated opposition.
“We are expecting a really strong challenge.
“Blighty are clearly playing some good football at the moment, and winning three of their past four games is a clear indicator of that.
“They will come into the game with plenty of belief, so we cannot afford to be complacent or expect the result to just happen.
“It’s always a tough game regardless of how either team are travelling, but we’re really focused on building some momentum into the finals.”
The Rovers have qualified for the finals in every grade of football and netball for the second year in a row, but higher positions are still up for grabs.
Meanwhile, Blighty’s under-15s netball side are the only Redeyes side currently in the top eight.
However, this doesn’t mean the visitors can’t disrupt the Rovers plans this weekend.
In particular, the Blighty seniors football team are red-hot, having won three of their last four games, including last week versus Barooga by 10 points.
The Rovers sit in eighth and lost to Barooga by 18 points earlier in the season.
Leyden said their win showed what his side is capable of.
“It was nice to see the previous week translate against a top opposition.
“We played a measured four quarter performance which was needed to overcome Barooga, we felt as though everyone played their role and contributed.
“It’s great to see the boys get a win against a quality opposition.”
While the Rovers are locked into finals, their finals position could change with a win, and they will want to maintain standards ahead of any win or go home matches.
“We will assess a few players throughout the week, but we are expecting to have a relatively settled side,” Hay said.
“Although our position in the elimination final is secured, this week is still extremely important.
“We want to continue building momentum, reinforce the way we want to play and make sure our standards are where they need to be heading into next week.”