BARNAWARTHA coach Terry Burgess believes two round 8 matches will have huge ramifications in the race to secure a finals berth.
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The two games in question are the Barnawartha-Thurgoona and Yackandandah-Beechworth clashes, with the quartet sitting sixth, fourth, fifth and third respectively.
With the finals fight expected to be tight, Saturday’s games could prove crucial, especially for Barnawartha.
The Tigers sit one game out of the TDFL top five and a loss to Thurgoona will leave them two games behind their rivals and potentially three wins behind the winner of the Yackandandah-Beechworth game.
Burgess realises Barnawartha’s season could hinge on how the Tigers perform against the Bulldogs.
“It’s a huge match for us but the Yackandandah-Beechworth game is big too,” he said.
“We’re all teams that will probably push to finish fourth and fifth.
“It’s particularly important for us because we only play Thurgoona and Beechworth once this season and ... I know Thurgoona have a soft back-end draw, so we need to beat them on Saturday.”
After starting the season with three losses, the Tigers have enjoyed a flawless month of football, beating Mitta United, Wahgunyah, Chiltern and Rutherglen — all teams below them on the ladder, meaning the Tigers will have to find another gear against the Bulldogs.
“They’re another step up and I expect it will be more like a finals-type game,” Burgess said.
“They’ve only lost two games by a couple of points so that says to me that they’ve got a very even spread.
“But they’ve certainly got a couple of class players we need to look out for — Lucas Mellier and Danny Hargreaves for starters.
“It’s a big game, it’s our sponsors day so there will be a good crowd there, and hopefully we can continue our momentum.”
Burgess hinted there could be as many as three changes to the team that beat Rutherglen last weekend, with star utility Danny Demarte certain to play after missing last week.
Yackandandah, meanwhile, hosts Beechworth in the other key round 8 contest, in a game that is looming as an intriguing clash between two big improvers from last year.
Dederang-Mount Beauty should notch its second victory of the year at home against the Wodonga Saints; Mitta United will be too strong for Chiltern; Rutherglen will find the going tough at Kiewa-Sandy Creek; and Wahgunyah will come up short at Tallangatta.