HOTSPURS coach John Irvine says he’s a realist.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
He says unless his side can lift on recent form they face a hiding from Melrose again tomorrow and are likely to be bundled out of finals in the first week.
Hotspurs were the form side of the competition six weeks ago with wins over Myrtleford, Wodonga Diamonds and Albury City.
But last week they were beaten 10-0 by Twin City and Irvine said it could have been much worse.
“A bit of complacency set in and there was hype mid-season after we knocked over a couple of teams higher on the ladder,” he said.
“Obviously it would be massive to knock off Melrose and avoid finishing 8th but it would also require a massive turnaround in form from the past three weeks.”
Irvine said making finals was always the goal.
“But there is an abyss between us and Twin City,” he said.
“Give credit where credit is due, they are a quality side — great experience, well coached and have an awesome strike force
“They put 10 past us but probably had 20 shots last weekend.”